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by Maruchan LE
Summary: A young girl whom, years ago, lost her parents, has now lost the last person she loved, her dear brother. Now, lost and confused, she strives to do what she does best: racing. Meanwhile, five young boys are searching for her so that they can bring to life
1. That Smiling Face

A.N: Okay, I've had this idea for a Gundam fic for what seems like forever, but I never bothered to write it down, thinking (Because it was AU) that no one would like it. The main character was always getting herself near-killed... always. It interested me, but I thought I was just weird at the time. Well, instead of my outrageous story, I wrote a different fic, with a character that was always getting in those worst-case-scenarios. And everyone loved it! I was amazed, and I still am. I've gotten so wrapped up in what the public wants, that I never wrote this fic because it was what _I _wanted to write.

Thanks for all your support!

Mendel K.

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Chapter 1:

That Smiling Face

Lea roughly turned the large steering wheel in front of her. Her dark blue and black race car zoomed around the bend, barely making it, and in bad time. Lea slammed her foot down on the brakes as her personal trainer ran up. Hitting her head on the steering wheel, Lea listened for the umpteenth time about how she should drive.

"Now Lea, you have to push the brakes down slightly so you can make a sharp turn."

"But if I brake, I'll lose speed."

"But if you don't brake, you may crash. You saw how you almost hit the wall again. I don't think I have to remind you about Mr. G..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sent to the hospital and was out three months later. Mai, you've told me this a thousand times."

"And you'll hear it a thousand more if you don't get serious"

"I_ am _serious" Lea spat and revved up her engine again. Swerving slightly, she made her way back onto the track and began a new lap.

_Lea... if you don't understand the fundamentals of your driving... will you meet the same fate as your brother? _Mai thought painfully, remembering Lea's brother. He looked exactly like her, they were practically twins. Only a year of age separated them. Lea and her brother had the same exact dark green eyes, the same dark hair.

Lea once again made a sloppy turn, getting dangerously close to the wall. She imagined all those reality shows she had watched on television about race car crashes. Then, suddenly, an image of her brother shot through her mind. Her car swerved out of control and eventually hit a large pile of tires, cushioning the crash. Lea sat there in her front seat, the image of her smiling brother pasted in her mind. And then she re-lived the entire day again. There he was, her elder brother. He had a black eye and a huge gash on his head and one long gash across his chest. He was pinned in the vehicle, no one could pull him out.

"Brother" she remembered yelling as she rushed to the car. And there he was in his crippled condition. He blinked and turned his head to look at her.

"Hey, sis." he coughed and some blood came out of his mouth. "How's it goin'" he smiled.

That smile.

Lea closed her eyes and held her head in her hands.

"No... NO" she yelled and was instantly being shaken, pulled away, out of her hellish nightmare.

"Lea? LEA" came Mai's voice. Lea instantly snapped out of her dreamy state and focused her vision on Mai.

"Mai..."

"You saw him again"

Lea nervously brought her hand to her face, brushing away sweat and tears. She nodded.

"Lea... I'm sorry but"

"But nothing." Lea said and pulled herself out of the car and took off her helmet. Mai gave her a pained look.

"That's enough for tonight. Can I drive you home"

"Alone" Lea said not making eye contact with Mai.

"No, _home_. Do you want me to take you home"

"Heh. What home" Then, as Lea saw Mai's expression"Nah, I'll walk."

"You sure"

"No-I mean, yes. I'm fine, really." Lea said smiling. "Don't worry about it" She said, slapping Mai affectionately on the back. Mai nodded.

"Okay, but, I'll see you here again tomorrow, two o'clock sharp."

"Right."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you? It's almost dark out, it's dangerous."

"It's always dark..." Lea said breathlessly. Mai raised an eyebrow and she was just about to ask what Lea meant, but decided not to. Mai knew she couldn't budge Lea from her decision, so she climbed into her red sports car and sped away.

Lea rummaged around in her purse, trying to find some bus fare. When it was late out, she would ride the bus instead of walking, though she enjoyed walking more.

Walking towards the bus stop, she saw a young man. He wore the same cold gaze that Lea wore nowadays, at least, ever since the accident. Lea cautiously approached the boy. As she edged nearer, she found her was not that much older than she was, maybe about seventeen. He seemed very cautious too. As Lea approached and the bus pulled up and opened up it's doors, the boy looked left and right, as if making sure no one was following. His dark eyes and fell upon Lea. She stared back. His eyes were the exact same as her brother's. Noticing this, she gasped.

"Hey, you two gonna stand there forever, or are ya gonna ride" The bus driver asked irritably tapping his steering wheel. Lea nodded and quickly dashed up the steps, careful not to meet the strange boy's gaze again.

About ten minutes later, Lea asked the bus to stop and unloaded at an old orphanage. The building looked so run down, it was amazing that people actually lived there. Lea looked up to her bedroom window, a habit she had since she came here. Lea shook her head. _I won't see him... But I still can't shake my old habit. _Lea shook herself mentally, another painful memory entering her mind.

_When I first came here... it wasn't all that different. I have lived here now for six years which means I came here when I was... _Lea knocked on the door of the house and a woman opened the door.

"Welcome back, Lea."

_I was ten years old. I came because both my parents died when I was very young. My brother and I were both adopted soon after by another family, but soon they're lives became so busy that they couldn't take care of us anymore. _Lea threw her purse down on her favorite random chair remembering that day.

"Like a thorn in my side, my memories burn my soul..." Lea said quietly. A small girl, Jenni, looked up and said quietly,

"Hard day at the tracks" Lea set her hand on the small girl's shoulder.

"Does it show"

"Your eyes are all red." Lea blinked and then sat down on the same random chair her purse had just been thrown on. Lea soon evicted the purse and then sat back.

"I just had something in my eye." Jenni gave her that I-Want-The-Truth look. Lea instead focused all her energy on a speck of dirt on the old arm chair.

"What is it" Jenni inquired.

"Caked on mud, it would seem." Lea answered now scratching furiously at the stain.

"No, not that, what's wrong" Lea lifted her head up from her cleaning job and stared directly at the girl. Jenni stared into the empty pools that were her friend's eyes.

"Lonely..."Jenni said.

"Nah, not that... just..." Lea replied.

"No one understands."

"Right."

"I understand."

"No, you don't."

"I've lost a brother too, you know" Lea stopped, and then her whole world crashed. She stared blankly ahead, the pain of that day surging through her. She felt like she would collapse; her vision blurred and she felt the most horrible feeling. Gasping for breath, she supported her head on her hands.

"No..." she spoke quietly. Jenni looked horrified. "It's not the same" she yelled and as quickly as she could, ran upstairs into her bedroom.

Once in her room, Lea locked her door and then her tears ran freely. A short poem rang in her head.

_Like a bullet through the heart_

_My memories burn my soul_

_Like a thorn in my side_

_My thoughts tear me apart_

_When will I get inner peace?_

_When will I laugh again?_

_When will this torture cease?_

_When will I no longer feel this pain?_

_I wish for it to end,_

_My fears be ceased for good_

_This pain I wish to transcend_

_My emotion released like a flood_

Lea thought about what Jenni had said.

_I've lost a brother too, you know!_

"It's not the same..." Lea thought painfully. "...without you, Damon." Lea turned away from the solemn poem and instead opened up her drawer and pulled out an old picture of a man not that much older that she; he had short brown untidy hair, and his eyes were a dark green.

_Just like that boy's eyes at the bus stop... _Lea blinked sleepily and placed the picture back in it's drawer. _Brother, I know I haven't always loved racing but... I want your legacy as a fine racer to live on. But... but what did you ever do to deserve to be killed? We all knew who had done it, we all knew your "best friend" had tampered with the brakes of your vehicle... he meant only to win the race, and it ended up killing you..._

A timid knock came at the door.

"Yes"

"Lea, there's someone here to see you." came Jenni's small voice. Lea stood up and moved over to the door.

"She'll be down in a moment..." came a woman's voice from the foot of the stairs. Lea slowly made her way down, not knowing what she would find.

An old man introduced himself as the personal trainer of another fine racer. Lea pasted on her face a fake smile.

"Can I help you"

"I just came over to ask if you would participate in my race."

"Your race"

"Yes, I hire the drivers and sell tickets and then you all race for us."

"Sounds good."

"I want to hire you."

"Me"

"Yes. I used to watch your brother race, and he was magnificent! I am certain his little sister will be just as good"

"How much are you paying"

"It's an amateur race so about one million yen."

"Deal."

"Good, I'll see you then" And the strange man left, leaving Lea to contemplate what she had just agreed to.

"You're late" Mai exclaimed when she saw Lea walking up to the race course.

"I know."

"Would it kill you to be on time"

"What do you think" Lea said flatly and made her way to her race car.

Once inside, Lea let all her thoughts go and concentrated wholly on her driving.

_Forward past the starting line, so far so good. Now the first turn, brake slightly... hm, that wasn't so hard. _Lea made the next turns perfectly also. Her driving had improved greatly; but all the experience in the world couldn't have prepared Lea for who awaited her at the tracks.

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: I'd like to thank Andrew for reviewing my stories on AYR. V And please, please, PLEASE write a review for my story! I REALLY appreciate it!


	2. Many Meetings

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Chapter 2:

Many Meetings

Lea sighed as she packed her small duffel bag with anything she could think of. The old man had come back again and said that the race would be in a week and for that short week in waiting she and the other racers could stay at his condo, just a few blocks away from the tracks.

Lea grabbed her picture of Damon out of the drawer and shoved it in the bag alongside her t-shirts and jeans. Then there was her pendant, which was the last gift given to her from her brother. It was a beautiful pendant, a glass green stone imbedded with a strange symbol.

"It' magic." he had said.

"Really"

"Yeah. Anytime you need help, as long as you wear this pendant, you'll be safe." So from that day on, Lea had wore that pendant without fail.

A familiar red car was waiting in the front of the orphanage when Lea closed the door behind her.

"Hey there, kiddo! Are you excited" came Mai's voice from the driver's seat.

"You bet I am" Lea said energeticly and shoved herself and the massive bag into the front seat.

As the car sped off, Mai turned on the radio and began singing to one of her favorite songs. Lea peered out her window at the quickly passing landscape. Her mind reeled as she thought of what she would do once inside the city, staying for a week in a fancy condo, and, hopefully, winning that race and getting her face posted on the front page of newspapers. She would be a star, if only for a short while and, even though she would have rather enjoyed a quiet day locked away in her room, she would always rise to any challenge and any adventure.

"You look happy" Mai began"If only you would smile, it would be complete." Lea turned the sides of her mouth upward, but then she went back to her sad face.

"I don't like the way it feels."

"What, to smile? That's rediculous." Mai said and made a sharp left, almost making Lea crash into her window.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that" Mai said hastily and made another sharp right, now almost making Lea fall off her chair.

"What's up" Lea said quicky, clinging to her seat as Mai made yet another sharp turn.

"Sorry, but, there's this weird car following us."

"What" Lea yelled and turned in her seat to see a jet black jeep making the same sharp turn they had just made. In Lea's wonder, she let her hands go, resulting in Mai crying out,

"Haven't you ever heard of a seatbelt" And Lea having her wind knocked out of her.

The car sped along, eventually turning sharply into a busy street.

"To the tracks" Mai cried out suddenly and, dangerously weaving in and out of the other cars, sped away.

"Man, that woman can drive" A boy with a long brown braid and wide blue eyes exclaimed. "And to think, that's just her mentor" A boy with brown hair and deep, green eyes nodded silently.

_One Week Later..._

Mai jabbed the large racing helmet roughly onto Lea's head.

"Now, remember, be sure to brake before you turn, and don't be too stressed out, and clear your mind, and don't forget to"

"I know, I know" Lea said impatiently crawling into her blue and black race car. Mai smiled.

"Be safe and have fun, kiddo" She said and gave Lea a thumbs up. Lea took a deep breath and set her foot on the gas petal. The make shift traffic light in front of her flashed red. All the other cars around her growled and hummed like a swarm of angry bees.

Then, she felt like someone was watching her, from the audience, no doubt.

But whoever it was, they felt familiar...

Yellow.

_I know this feeling, I know who it is... it must be..._

GREEN!

"And they're off" came a man's voice from one of the large speakers positioned around the stadium. Lea gasped and pushed down on her gas petal. Gritting her teeth, she thought of only one thing, the one thing that she always thought of when she was racing;

"I'll make you proud, brother." she smiled slightly and pushed down harder on her gas. "I'll make you proud."

"That's her" Quatre yelled as the black and blue car zoomed past, way ahead of all the others. Meanwhile, Duo mummbled something and turned over in his seat.

"DUO"

"Okay, man, sorry! Is it my fault if races take so long to start! I was having a nice dream." Duo said and sat up in his seat. "So where is she"

"There, the black and blue one."

"Oh... WHAT! She's way ahead of everyone else! What speed is that"

"AND THERE GOES LEA, AT A TOP SPEED OF TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILES PER HOUR" The announcer said energeticly. Duo's mouth fell in his lap.

"You gotta be kidding..."

"Nope" Quatre said, smiling. "She's definitely the one we need."

"They're close, they're very close, will it be a tie? How will it end" the announcer cried out.

"Please" Lea said, a glint in her eye. "SPARE ME" she cried out and hit the hardest she could muster on her gas petal.

"Wait a momment folks, Lea is gaining speed, and fast! There they go, it's close, very close... AND LEA IS COMING, SHE'S ALMOST IN THE LEAD, IT'LL BE A PHOTO FINISH! AND THE RACE IS OVER! Judges are examining the photos... AND IT LOOKS LIKE LEA WINS"

The crowd roared.

Lea lightly stepped out of her car. Instantly a swarm of reporters and photographers rushed over to her.

"Miss Lea"

"Could we have a word, Miss Lea"

"Is it true that you hit 230 MPH, Lea"

"M-miss Lea"

"Miss Lea"

Lea stared at them all, but then turned and began to walk away.

"Wait! Miss Lea"

"I'd like a word, Miss Lea"

"Could you answer a few questions, please"

Lea stopped and gave all the reporters her coldest look.

"I don't wish to talk about it." she said coldly and continued making her way to the garage, where Mai would be waiting.

After evading the reporters, Lea stopped at the driver's lounge attached to the garage for a soda.

"Well well well..." a young boy said. "If it isn't the driving wonder, Lea."

"Hey, Matt." Lea said dully and rummaged around in her pockets.

"How do you do it" he said. "Hit 230 MPH"

"Simple" Lea said and pulled her soda out of the dispenser. "I press on the gas petal. That's how you get the vehicle to move, right" she sat down on the couch next to some other drivers whom she didn't know. Everyone laughed, all except Matt.

"You trying to start a fight with me"

"Please, you're hardly worth the trouble." Lea snapped and Matt was instantly upon her. Grabbing her up by the scruff of the neck, he snarled,

"What did you just say"

"You're not worth it." Her eyes flashed. "Go on and hit me" Lea said dully, waiting for the inevitable. The boy reared up, but stopped.

"If I hit you, what would your poor brother think? Ah well, he's dead now. And good ridens, he was always such a pest"

BOOM!

The boy's hands loosened on Lea's collar as he slid to the floor. Lea stood there, her hand balled into a fist. Her face was contorted with uncontrollable anger.

"Hit 'em again, Lea" called one of the girl drivers. No one seemed to like Matt at all.

"Yeah, do. He was a jerk." came a young man's voice out of no where. Lea turned around and saw a boy, maybe a year older than she was, casually reclining in the corner of the room. "Hey, how's it going" he said.

"Who..." she said breathlessly. Just then, another boy emerged from the shadows. It was the same boy she had seen at the bus stop. "You" she cried. The boy looked up. Most of his hair covered his face, which made it hard for Lea to make out what his facial features were like.

But his eyes were the same as her brother's were.

Once.

_Now his eyes are dead, like the rest of him._

Lea collapsed down on the couch, her gaze never leaving the boy's.

"So, we goin'" Duo said impatiently. Trowa shook his gaze from the girl's.

"Yes."

Lea stepped into a black jeep. Another boy was waiting in the driver's seat.

"Hey, Quatre, I thought I was driving."

"Well, okay, but if you drive like you did last time..."

"Whadaya mean by that? Are you saying that I'm not a good driver" Duo said and Quatre backed down into the back sat with Trowa and Lea.

Lea stared out the window, watching the people and animals enjoying life. When she turned to catch another look at the strange boy whom sat next to Quatre, she found that he too was looking out the window.

"Duo, watch out for that" Quatre yelled.

"I know, I KNOW" Duo said iritably and turned. Lea went back to looking out the window. Duo shot her a look in the rear view mirror.

"Man, you and Trowa are so alike" Duo said and smiled wryly. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Trowa."

Trowa, though, didn't seem to be listening. Lea's eyes widened as they passed the lovely condo where she had been staying.

"Where are you taking me" she said quietly. She had never thought about why she was going with them, but all of her instincts told her to do so.

"Where? To a secret location, kid." Duo said and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. Lea lifted her eyebrow and Quatre reassured her they were going to an airport.

"Which one"

"Er..." Quatre said uncertainly. "Trowa? Which airport shall we be going to"

"Whatever you want." Trowa shrugged.

"There are dozens of airports, Lea, which one is the best"

Lea too shrugged. "How should I know? I've never been on vacation."

"What! Come on now, perhaps your old folks took you to Disney World or something..." Duo said, watching her in his mirror. Lea shook her head.

"I'm an orphan."

"Join the club" Duo said. We're pretty much all orphans, or at least the vast majority of us."

"Us" Lea asked, not really caring to hear the answer.

"Yeah, there are five of us." Duo said. Trowa leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Trowa, Heero, and I are orphans. But golden boy here" Duo pointed to Quatre, who blushed slightly"Has twenty-nine sisters."

"Twenty-nine" Lea exclaimed. She had almost never raised her voice or shown much of any emotion since her brother died, but now she felt a little better about it. Quatre nodded.

"And who's this Heero character" Lea asked once again.

"Hold that thought, we're already here." Duo said and turned into an abandoned airport.

"Wait a sec, what's going on" Lea said looking around her whole surroundings. An abandoned airport, three strange young men, all hiding something from her. _What are they planning for me? _she thought desperately. _What are they going to do with me?_

TO BE CONTINUED

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AN: If anyone has any ideas, questions and/or comments, you can e-mail me for reading!

And thank you Trowa, Duo and Quatre, for helping me out on this one! It's been quite a challenge, but I enjoy working with you guys!

And this story is written/being written, for Yuy Ren, who invited me to become a member of the slowly growing number of writers on this website. Thank you!


	3. Chosen

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Chapter 3:

Chosen

Lea slowly opened her eyes. She was in a metallic room with the same three boys she had seen earlier... but where? That's right, they were the ones who had taken her to this abandoned hangar in the first place.

Lea was in an uncomfortable bed, with an equally uncomfortable headache. Lea rubbed her forehead where it hurt the most and found she was pressing against a bandage. She pressed a little harder and something wet touched her hands. Blood. How had she gotten cut? What had happened? Lea stirred worriedly. Duo looked up.

"Hey there, you gave quite a fight yesterday" he said happily and smiled. Then it hit Lea as if she had been slapped in the face. Of course! What happened yesterday, it was all coming back to Lea...

Lea gasped at the mere sight or the old decrepit hangar, and began to panic. Quatre reassured Lea that they wouldn't hurt her. That's what everyone says, until they have you right where they want you, then it's all over.

Lea shivered as a strange feeling washed over her. Trowa looked up and so did Duo and Quatre.

"Get out of the car." Trowa said.

"What" Lea asked.

"Get out of the car" Trowa then proceeded to open his car door and pull Lea along with himself out of it. Lea gasped as she watched the car burst into the flames.

Trowa half carried-half dragged Lea into the hangar. Inside were a few uniformed men.

"Trowa Barton, I presume" An older voice said from behind. A man with long black hair and a scar over his left eye stepped between the small army and Trowa. "And who is this young beauty" The man said and stared at Lea. Trowa pushed Lea slightly behind him.

"Stay out of the way." Trowa said and, without waiting for a reply, drew his gun. Once again Lea gasped. "What do you want"

"The girl." The man said coolly, ignoring the gun aimed at his head.

"Why"

"We need her for... experimentation." He said. Trowa stared and then started to move away. Lea was exposed. The man smiled, a horrid, evil smile. Lea's eyes widened in fright. The man began to walk forward. At that moment, Trowa kneeled down slightly in back of Lea and pointed his gun to her head. Everyone but himself gasped. "What do you think you're doing" The man yelled.

"Leave this place or the girl is killed." Trowa answered. Lea stared straight forward. Why did these people want her? What did she have, what did she do to deserve this? Lea clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. Trowa began to slightly drag her backwards, never moving his gun.

"Girl, Lea, please, come with us, we don't wish to harm you..." The man said. Trowa retracted backwards even more. "Don't you remember me? It's me, Sakio." he said. Lea gasped as a blurry image appeared in her mind. Lea was a tiny baby, held in the arms of...

"Sakio" She breathed. Sakio smiled. Trowa gripped Lea more tightly.

"Don't even think of running" Trowa began, but Lea was already thinking of a way out. Her mind buzzed as she looked about the room.

"Who are you! What do you want from me" Lea blurted out, hopeful to divert Trowa's attention. Trowa paused, and then pulled his gun away. Lea breathed a sigh of relief as Trowa loosened his grip. She ran all the way to the other end of the room, where Sakio was smiling devilishly. He lifted up a small gun and pointed it at Lea. He pulled the trigger, she felt herself fall, but it wasn't because she had gotten shot, Trowa had grabbed her legs and was pulling her downward. And just in time. The bullet skimmed her cheek but instead hit Trowa who was directly behind her. He quickly grabbed Lea and began to drag her away when something else hit her in the back. She instantly felt her body go numb with pain and she fell into unconsciousness.

Lea shook her head. "Forgive me, I caused so much trouble..."

"You had it coming, kid" Duo said energetically. "Don't worry about it, though, Trowa did get hit pretty badly, but he's resting now."

"Resting? Then who is..." Lea asked as the third boy's head turned and revealed that it wasn't Trowa, but someone else.

"Who? Oh, that's Heero." Duo said. Heero said nothing, but returned to tending his wounds. Lea stood up from her bed. Her head swam.

"What happened to me" she asked, holding her head.

"You were injected with something, right now Wufei is trying to find out what it was..." Quatre began, but was cut off when there came a knocking at the door. Wufei walked in and handed a piece of paper to Heero, who poured over it.

"So" Came Quatre's unsure voice.

"I have no idea" Wufei said flatly and sat down on the floor. "But it's entered her bloodstream, that's for sure."

Lea twitched slightly. "Wha"

"Ah, don't worry about it" Duo said happily and gave his reassuring smile. "It's not gonna kill you, right Wu-man"

"Don't call me that..." Wufei mumbled angrily and left the room.

"That means 'yes', for Wufei." Duo said. Lea looked around the room. It was small, and dark, and everything appeared to be metal bolted down. Lea then diverted her attention to the three boys, and, mainly, Heero. He gave her a side glance, but other than that appeared to take no attention of the girl on the bed.

"You should sleep" Heero said. Lea jumped at his words.

"What? Oh, right..." she then plopped down on the bed and closed her eyes. Lea heard Heero, Quatre and Duo stand as the door creaked open.

"Well? How is she" Trowa whispered.

"I don't know, Wufei hasn't been able to analyze what she's been injected with." Heero answered.

"Will it kill her" Trowa asked.

"Why are you still so intent on that" Heero lashed out. "We can't kill her"

"Why not? It's our mission." Wufei said as the door creaked open again. "After all, she is" Heero cut him off.

"She isn't important. As long as we can keep her away from Sakio and Romefeller, then we won't have to kill her."

"I still don't understand why we just can't kill her in her sleep" Wufei said. Lea felt his gaze upon her. "She's weak from that strange injection. It will be easy to kill her..."

"No" Heero intervened. "We're not going to kill her." Heero's footsteps could be heard growing fainter. "I'm going to talk with Doctor J." The door closed, and silence filled the room. Lea took a deep breath and fell asleep, wishing that her nightmare would end.

Lea awoke the next morning feeling light-headed. Groaning slightly, she lifted herself out of the bed and made her way towards the door. Before she could reach the handle, though, the door swung open to reveal a saddened looking Quatre. He looked surprised to see Lea out of bed.

"Oh, hello..." Quatre said absent mindedly. "How are you feeling today"

"Fine..." Lea lied and quickly brushed past Quatre and the awkward situation. Quatre stared after her for a moment, shrugged, and the pursued her.

"Hey, wait" he cried out. Lea paused to let the boy catch up. "You sure can run" Quatre said and started down the long dark hall, Lea followed. "I saw you racing, most people can't handle their cars properly once they hit 230 MPH..." he began. Lea looked on. Quatre, feeling once again uncomfortable, continued. "But then again, not very many people can hit 230 MPH in the first place. You're really something." Quatre stopped in front of a large door, input a code which Lea memorized immediately, and the door swung open to reveal a huge, elaborate hall. There were beautiful tapestries and paintings covering all the walls, and opulent furniture adorned with fresh roses stood neatly at either end of the room. Lea wondered what had just happened, and where she was now. Quatre, seeing her confused look, cleared his throat and called out"Duo". Just then the room seemed to flicker like a bad television screen, and then the whole room changed to look much like, (if not the same as) the room the two had just left. Another heavily bolted door opened and a cheerful Duo walked out.

"Whazzup, Golden Boy" he said happily. His large smile flickered slightly when he saw Lea.

"Duo, hasn't Heero told you not to mess around with the holographic projector" Quatre smiled.

"No..." Duo said, putting on his, Don't-Be-Mad-At-Me-'Cause-I'm-To-Cute-To-Be-Mad-At look. Lea looked up at the ceiling, which had an amazingly large crack going straight through it; only the crack was straight as straight could be. It was obviously some kind of opening. Then Lea remembered her brother telling her about places like these which had unusual cracks in the ceiling.

"Hey, isn't that" Lea started.

"Well, must be going" Quatre said and hastily pushed Lea into the room Duo had just come out of.

Tens of computer screens buzzed and illuminated the room. Three shadows sat in front of a few computers.

"Wait here" Quatre said and walked over to the shadow on the right. He whispered something and the shadow stood and turned to see her. "That's the girl" Quatre said nodding in Lea's direction. Lea closed her eyes as her head once again began to swim. The shadow slowly approached her.

"How are you feeling" came an unfamiliar voice.

"My... my head hurts..." Lea said and mentally shook herself. The shadow nodded and pulled something out of it's pocket.

"Take this" Lea nodded and took the two pills which were handed to her. The iron bolted door opened once again and Duo emerged, turned on the lights, and revealed Heero standing in front of Lea. Lea nearly jumped at how close Heero was to her. She quickly took a few steps backward. Heero nodded and went back to the many computer screens. Lea blushed and hurriedly swallowed her two pills. Duo stood in the doorway still, obviously waiting for Lea.

"Heero claims you need fresh air, kiddo." Duo said energetically and motioned for Lea to follow him. Lea jumped at the word 'kiddo' being said to her. Only Mai had said that to her before now.

Duo walked briskly through the long, dark winding halls. Lea could barely keep up, she wasn't in very good shape, mainly because of her headache.

A great pain shot through Lea's head. She paused, causing Duo to stop and look backwards.

"You okay" he asked, looking only slightly worried. Lea nodded and walked up to him. The two continued at the same pace down the hall. Duo whistled and put his hands behind his head. Lea glanced up at him, and then sighed.

About ten minutes later, the two reached an extremely large door.

"Here we are" Duo exclaimed happily and, throwing the door open, revealed what looked like the most beautiful, opulent park Lea had ever seen.

Lea gasped at the perfect scene before her.

"It's like walking into a painting..." she said and took a few steps forward. A warm breeze ruffled her hair and made the leaves on the trees sound like ocean waves. Lea smiled slightly and turned around to get a full view of the world around her. Duo was standing so close to her, she jumped.

"Yeah, I haven't seen much fine art, but this sure is nice." Duo turned and looked to where a small pond was situated quite comfortably amongst tall fountain grass.

Lea nodded. "Just seeing all this makes me happy... and sad."

"Why so" Duo said, turning in her direction, but never meeting her gaze.

Lea suddenly ran. "I feel like I could fly" She yelled happily and jumped up. "The clouds look so close, I swear I could touch them" Lea lifted her hands up into the air and grabbed at the white puffs above her. "If I close my eyes, maybe everything will go back to normal..." Lea closed her eyes. Duo sat down in the grass and watched the girl, puzzled. A small blue bird fluttered down from the nearest tree and landed on Lea's shoulder. She immediately opened her eyes and stopped jumping and sat down. "Why am I so happy now? Maybe it's because... this place reminds of where Damon used to take me when I was down..." The bird cocked it's tiny head and twittered. Lea closed her eyes again and envisioned Damon driving her to a small, beautiful park.

_It's the nicest memory I have of him... and his smile._

Duo stood up and walked over to her. He outstretched his hand. "Feel any better"

The bird on Lea's shoulder twittered angrily, and then flew away. Lea took his hand and lifted herself off the ground.

"Yes... and..." Lea looked up into Duo's eyes. "Thank you."

Duo looked confused. When he had first met this girl, she looked sad and dull, now it would seem the sunlight brought some color into her face, some light into her eyes.

Heero was gazing out the only window in the entire hangar, watching Duo and Lea.

"Are you sure she's the right one" Heero asked uncertainly and turned to Trowa.

Trowa nodded. "If you had seen her at the tracks, you would be amazed. Her capabilities are incredible. She is the one we need."

Heero looked again out the window. What could he say? She came willingly, although she was a little frightened. He only nodded. "Alright."

The door opened and Duo and Lea walked in. The rush of cold air from the hangar made Lea shiver, but she didn't say anything. She sat down on her cot almost immediately, and none of the pilots paid any real attention to her again, although they were all aware of where she was. She saw that whenever she would shift in the bed or move, the boy's muscles would tense and they would stop immediately whatever it was they were doing to listen to what it was Lea was up too.

_They're so restless. _She thought and laid down. Almost as soon as she had shut her eyes, the conversation started up again.

"When are we gonna have her do it" Duo asked. Lea almost stopped breathing.

"Soon, don't worry. The X is almost built. But we have to keep her sheltered, just in case." Quatre said, sounding anxious and worried. "What if she can't... you know..."

"I'm certain she can." Trowa answered. "I saw her at the tracks. She can do it."

"And the Zero system" Wufei interjected. "Will she be able to handle it"

"Probably not." Heero said quietly. "But she's the only one who knows the man who built that stronghold... right"

"Yes. She ran right up to him. I'm sure she knows him. She's the only one left anyway, besides Sakio himself."

"Hey, do we know her name anyway" Duo asked attentively. Wufei rummaged around in a small drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"Age: 16, Birth date: AC 181, Orphaned, no direct family members still alive, Name: Lea K"

Lea suddenly coughed. All the pilots jumped. She coughed again, and again. She thought she was drooling, a liquid was running slightly out of her mouth.

"What's wrong" Duo yelled and jumped out of his seat. Lea looked down as her eyes began to cloud over; a small red pool was developing on the bed, her chest stung horribly.

_Is that... blood?_

Lea closed her eyes.

_Am I dying? What's wrong with me? I was fine a second ago..._

The five boys rushed over and helped her to sit up. Lea felt tired and weak... she couldn't hold her head up.

_What's... happening... to me?_

In her mind she could hear strange sounds, like gears moving, and exhaust being pumped out somewhere. She slowly opened her eyes. They were slightly green-tinged, as if she were looking through a great glass. She tried to move her hand, and again she heard strange gear-like noises. She turned her head and saw she was in the hangar, only it was much larger. Her instincts told her she was underground. She moved her hand again; now it was in her range of vision. It was armored, or at least it looked slightly armored. She moved her fingers, the armored hand moved it's fingers.

_So, you are the one. _

"Who's there" Lea cried out, looking around for where the voice was coming from; it was as if the voice was directly in her mind.

_You can hear me? I can hear you. This is good..._

"Who are you"

_I am X. And you are now my pilot. _

"Pilot? What are you talking about"

_They brought other people here, but they never found someone like you._

"Like me"

_Yes. I have been searching for you for some time now. We are now linked, in body, mind, and soul. You and I are one, Lea._

"We're one"

_Yes. From now on, when you pilot me, it won't be like a normal MS. I am special, and so are you. Though if you should feel any pain, I will feel it also. _

"And what about you"

_If someone begins disassembling me, you will also feel it._

Lea cringed at the thought of being disassemble. "Then I'll take care of you... X."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Thanks you all who've been reviewing so far, and please, review, review, review! Thanks for reading!


	4. Secrets

X

Chapter 4:

Secrets

Lea slowly opened up her eyes. She was lying down on the same, slightly uncomfortable cot. Above her head she heard voices.

"Good, she's finally awake. I was worried!" Duo exclaimed and smiled.

"What happened?" Quatre inquired. Lea lifted herself off the tiny bed.

"I... don't know. I had a strange dream..."

"You've bonded with it, haven't you?" Heero asked from the far-side of the room. Lea glanced at him.

"Yes... at least... I think so... that's what he said..."

"What who said?" Trowa asked, and lifted Lea's arm to check her pulse.

"X..." Lea answered quietly. All four boys jumped, all except Heero, who's mouth was slightly turned up at the tips.

"And what're you so smiley about?" Duo asked angrily, sliding his chair against the concrete floor, stretching his legs and putting them up on the bed.

"I was right." Heero said and turned again to face the many computer screens in front of him.

Lea looked around. "I know I saw a door here..."

"Trying to escape?" Trowa asked, Lea jumped and took a few steps backwards.

"N-no... I was just... looking for the door which leads outside... I'd like some fresh air and I..."

Trowa looked down at her, he was about a head higher than she. He took her hands in his.

"Look at you, your hands are shaking."

Lea blushed; Trowa's hands were so warm in hers. "They're like ice..." Trowa then wrapped his own, larger hands around her own. Lea didn't move.

"Uh... thanks..." She instead stared at the ground. Trowa also didn't look straight at her. "When everyone left, I thought I'd look for the door to the outside, because I was cold, and I could see light shining through the cracks in the metal walls, so I knew the sun was out and... I guess I got lost..." Lea felt a lump developing in her throat. Suddenly, Trowa slowly drew his hands away, but he didn't let go. He instead began to breathe on her fingertips.

_He's so warm... _she thought to herself. She then drew her own hands away.

"Thanks... I'm much warmer now..." She then turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction. Trowa stared at his own hands, which began to shake slightly.

"Trowa... are you alright?" Quatre asked as he turned the corner where Lea had just run off to. Trowa immediately stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Where's Heero?"

Quatre blinked. "In the control room, he hasn't left it yet." Trowa nodded and brushed hastily past Quatre.

"Trowa, wait!" Quatre yelled suddenly. Trowa spun around. "She's dangerous, Trowa. We don't know what she may do next..."

Trowa's eyes widened. "You don't trust her?"

Quatre focused on the cold, hard concrete underneath his feet.

"I just... want you to be careful, okay?" Trowa suddenly glared at him and then resumed heading towards the control room.

"Even Quatre doesn't trust her..." Trowa exclaimed angrily, throwing himself down in the chair opposite Heero.

"Quatre trusts the wrong people, people who would betray him at any moment." Heero said quietly.

"He trusted us..." Trowa said, lifting up his hand and staring at it. Heero didn't answer. "Are we the only ones who actually trust that girl?"

Here Heero turned his head and glanced at Trowa. "Does _she_ trust _us_? Will she pilot the X and fight beside us, or will she decide to fight with Sakio, and Romefeller?"

Trowa again stuffed his hands inside his pockets and stood up.

"Can she even pilot the X?"

"I'm certain of it." Heero resumed typing and stared at the screen in front of him. "I'm sure she is able to pilot the X. She's already bonded with it."

"But will she fight alongside us?"

Heero stopped typing and stood up. Trowa watched him as he walked out into the hall and turned towards the second hangar, where the X was being held.

_What if she chooses to fight alongside Sakio? What will our choice have to be, if that happens?_

Lea walked along the deserted hall. It was slightly dark, and she had lost her footing at least twice along the way. Then, in front of her, there was a soft light. She walked a little faster toward it.

In front of her was a relatively large doorway, which led to a huge room. Inside the room, there was a metal ladder, leading up to some sort of giant robot. Sitting down on the floor in front of it, was a boy with messy brown hair, and wearing blue jeans and a green shirt. He had his arms crossed over his folded legs. Lea quietly walked up to him.

_He's so still..._

"I heard you coming." Heero said quietly. Lea nearly jumped.

"Oh... um, sorry... if I interrupted you..."

"You weren't interrupting anything..." Heero answered. Lea took a few steps closer, never letting her eyes move from the towering robot in front of her.

"Is that... X?"

Heero silently nodded. Lea drew in a little closer, and then sat down next to Heero.

"My name is Lea."

Heero glanced at her. "Heero."

"What?"

"My name is Heero."

"Oh." Lea rubbed her arms but continued to stare at the mecha. "So... you want me to pilot it... the X?"

Heero looked up at the machine. "Yes."

"But... how do I?"

"You already know how."

"How to pilot it?"

Heero nodded. Lea hugged her knees.

"But... I can't..."

"You have to."

Lea stared at Heero a moment. "Why? For what reason?"

"You have to pilot the X. Damon was supposed to, but he was killed. So now, the only survivor of the..."

Lea gasped and hugged her knees more tightly. Heero glanced at her again, but continued.

"You have to pilot the X, because you're the only one left who knows where every single shred of documentation on this machine is."

"I... do?"

Heero nodded. "And we have to destroy those documents. But even if we did, there's still Sakio."

"Sakio..." Lea said and closed her eyes, thinking of the tall man who had tried to kill her.

"Sakio also knows the secrets of the X, and of it's pilots. He's also the last surviving member of the Morikane family line, besides yourself. You and he are both destined to pilot the X, but we can't allow him to get it."

Lea nodded, allowing this new information into her mind. Heero continued.

"Sakio works for the last shreds of The Romefeller Foundation."

Lea lifted her head. "Does this mean that my brother was supposed to pilot the X... instead of me?"

Heero nodded solemnly. "You have to pilot the X, but you can decide who you want to fight for."

Lea stood up. "And if I kill Sakio? Then what? Will that bring peace? Is it really that simple?"

Heero stared at her. "I don't know."

"Then why fight?" Lea asked, a small tear running down her face. "Why fight if it won't bring peace?"

"It's not that easy, but..." Heero stood but never let his eyes leave Lea's. "Follow your heart, do as it tells you. That's the right path."

Heero turned and quietly walked out of the room without another word. Lea watched him leave, a strange feeling in her chest. She then turned once more and stared at the X. It's cold gaze rested upon her.

"Then... I guess I have no choice."

Lea then jumped up the ladder and stared at the open cockpit. She clenched her teeth, but stepped inside. Instantly an extremely warm feeling fell on her, like she was wrapped up in a large blanket, protected from the world. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

A small transparent keyboard appeared in front of her. She stared at it.

_Type in your name._

The voice echoed in her head once more. Lea obeyed and typed in her full name. Her last name, Morikane, lighted up and started to blink. The floor opened up underneath her, but she didn't fall. It was like a pane of glass beneath her feet, but all she saw was a concrete floor beyond it.

"What is this?" she breathed. Suddenly, the roof also opened up to reveal another pane of glass, and all around her the walls disappeared and all that was left was glass.

"What's going on?" she asked. A large yellow orb floated down from the ceiling, and flicked in front of her, like a bad transmission on a television screen. She reached out and lightly touched it. A huge light seemed to turn on from beneath her, and the rays shot upwards. Small wires also shot up and hooked onto her skin.

Lea screamed at the intense pain. Then, it felt like gravity kicked in when she fell to her hands and knees. The whole building rocked. Lea clenched her teeth against the pain, but lifted her head up. Heero was watching her, he was sitting on the very top rung on the metal ladder. Lea slowly stood up. Was Heero smiling?

"Heero, can you hear me?" Lea asked.

"Loud and clear." Heero said from some unknown speaker.

"Heero... it hurts... it really does..."

Heero didn't answer. Lea grabbed one of the wires. It sent off electric sparks which burned her hand. She again screamed and landed on her knees.

"Please... stop..." She again reached for the wires, and again she burned her hands.

_Enough! Don't fight me, Lea! Just relax..._

"X..." Lea gasped and closed her eyes. _Must relax... must relax..._

In front of her a small white, blurry light flickered. Then the light grew closer and closer, until it was right in front of her eyes. It was a young boy, maybe a year older than herself. His hair was completely white, and his skin was so pale, it appeared to glow against the darkness.

_Relax, Lea. Relax. If you make any sudden movements now, it might just be the last thing you ever do._

_I understand, X. I won't move._

All around her, a sort of thick liquid began to flow into the small cockpit. Lea kept her eyes closed as the water rapidly began to rise.

_Relax, relax, I'm not going to die... I won't die here..._

The water rose to above her head.

_Don't hold your breath, Lea. Just breathe, you can do it._

Lea opened her mouth and tried to breathe in. The liquid flooded her mouth and went down her windpipe. She choked and again began to struggle.

_I can't breathe!_

_Relax!_

_No, I can't breathe..._

Lea coughed and then tried breathing normally again. The liquid was still in her lungs, but now she could exhale and inhale comfortably.

_I... can breathe..._

_Yes, but you can't speak, so don't try to. You might choke._

Lea nodded.

_And another thing, don't ever open your eyes while you are in this suit, alright?_

_Why not?_

_Just don't, okay?_

Lea again nodded.

_Now, try to focus. Envision this robot, and the hangar. Can you see it?_

_Yes, it's like I'm right there! Heero's lips are moving... is he trying to say something?_

_Yes, focus on his voice, on the entire world around you. _

"Lea? Lea! Are you alright? Answer me!"

_I'm alright, I'm alright. _

"Lea! Please, say something!"

_Why can't he hear me, X?_

_Have you envisioned yourself yet? Think of the sound of your voice._

"Heero! Can you hear me? I'm alright!" Lea cried out in her thoughts. She heard her own voice, and Heero answered.

"Lea, can you move?"

"Hold on, I'll try."

_I can feel my legs moving..._

"Yes, you're doing fine!" Heero yelled. "Now, can you get out of X?"

"Okay, I'll try coming out."

_Lose your focus, Lea, and I'll automatically shut down. Envision something... distracting..._

Lea shook her head a little, and thought of getting out of the X. She suddenly felt cold air blowing against her face. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw the inside of the X, dimly lit, and all robotics. The liquid was receding, it was just a little below her waist. Lea took in a sharp breath and coughed up a little bit of the strange gooey liquid which was also disappearing in her lungs.

_Lea, try not to breathe until all the liquid is gone._

"Okay..." Lea watched as the last amount of liquid was completely gone. She fell to her knees. The cockpit door opened to a very worried-looking Heero.

"Lea, are you okay?" He outstretched his hand to help her up. Lea grabbed onto his arm, but she couldn't move her legs at all. "Can you stand?"

Lea shook her head. "My legs just won't move..."

_It's just the after-effects of the Liquid. It'll wear off in a few hour's time._

"A few hours? You mean, every time I pilot X, I won't be able to move my legs?"

_It's only minor paralyzation, and besides, after you get used to the_ _Liquid, it won't affect you anymore._

Heero turned around and sat down in front of Lea. "Get on my back."

Lea blushed. "Oh! Uh... it's alright, I'll just stay here until I... uh... feel better..."

Heero glanced at her, but then stood up and walked away. Lea let out a sigh.

"Hey X," she said quietly. "Why can't I open up my eyes while I'm in the Liquid?"

X was silent a moment, as if contemplating the question. Finally, he spoke.

_It's kind of hard to explain..._

"So, the next time I pilot you, can I open my eyes?"

_No! Please don't, I don't want you to..._

Lea could hear X letting out a sigh, as if he was thinking very deeply.

"I'm sorry, I won't. Ever. I promise." Lea pushed on the floor of the cockpit with her hands, trying to hoist herself up, and her legs moved slightly. She then put her arms behind her head and lay down. She began to sing softly, a tune which she remembered her mother singing to her when she was small, an ancient, beautiful tune.

"The stars above yonder moon

Shine against the midnight sky

Hold me close as I cry on your shoulder

Lift me up into the sky,

And spread your wings above your head

And fly, fly."

Lea suddenly reached down into her shirt and pulled out her small, beautiful necklace. It shone in the dim lighting. She fingered it gently and thought of her brother. Closing her eyes, she envisioned his wondrous smile, like a light in the darkness. She held the necklace close as she turned on her side and fell asleep, mumbling before she dozed off, "And fly... fly..."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Bleh, that last bit of song-poetry stuff was stuck in there at the spur of the moment. There were two original lines which I decided to exclude from the song, and heck, I'm bored, so I'll write them.

_Be my light in the darkness_

_Guide me in my hidden path_


	5. I Wish This Moment Would Last Forever

X

Chapter 5:

"I Wish This Moment Would Last Forever..."

Water. Dark, black water. Dripping, dew dripping from beautiful, crisp new leaves. Hitting the water, the liquid glass rippling. Lea opened her eyes, revealing her old room, back at the orphanage. She walked out of her room, and found her way down to the kitchen. Damon was waiting, smiling.

That smile.

Dripping, dripping away. All her tears were dripping, like the dew off the leaves. Damon hugged her tightly. The window was fogged over, wet with the new fallen rain.

Damon and Lea walked out the door, to the garden in the front yard. Damon had kept up the garden, now it was dying.

Lea watched as the flowers wilted and fell in front of her eyes. The rain began again, wetting her hair, dripping, dripping. She reached out and grabbed Damon's hand, but it slipped away into nothingness, his face gradually fading from the surrounding landscape. His smile fading.

Fading away.

He was gone.

Lea's tears fell freely now, or perhaps it was only the rain? Only an illusion.

An illusion.

"Nothing's real anymore..."

Lea stared at the ground, watching her tears hit the ground. Like the dew. She walked into the street, but there were no cars. There was only silence.

Only silence.

Then music.

A lone piano played in the distance. She looked ahead of her, and saw a boy, with white hair and pale skin. He was playing. Playing a beautiful tune. But it was so sad.

So sad.

It had to be X; But X was merely a robot, wasn't he?

"Nothing's real anymore..."

The boy looked up. His eyes were closed, though he could see her. He lifted his hand as if reaching out to her. His lips moved.

"Wake up."

Lea slowly opened up her eyes. She was staring up at the metal ceiling inside the cockpit. She shut her eyes again.

"...Only a dream..." she breathed and stood. Her legs were fine now, though she felt very clammy, probably because she had fallen asleep on solid metal. She yawned and grabbed the top rung of the ladder that Heero had used to get up to X in the first place and swung her body over it, landing gently on the third rung. She looked up directly at X.

"...X ..."

_Yes?_

"I... I saw you play."

X fell silent, waiting for her to say something else.

"I saw you play the piano."

_That's not possible._

"What, you playing the piano, or my being able to see it?"

_Both. I've always loved playing the piano, but now..._

"X, you are a robot, you always have been, so how could you have been able to play the piano?"

X didn't answer. He only let out a sigh.

"Or is it something else?" Lea inquired further. Finally, X spoke.

_The experiment called X was to create a new robot, or at least, a new _type _of robot. One that would be so human, it could communicate with it's pilot, and even control itself if the pilot became unable. That's what they built me for._

"You mean, you're like a huge security system?"

_Sort of. But the robot is so dangerous, only select humans sharing similar DNA with the robot could pilot it successfully. Otherwise..._

"Otherwise?"

_The pilot would meet an untimely death. _

Lea cringed. "So does that mean... that you and I share similar DNA?"

_Correct._

"But... I don't understand. How can you, a robot, have DNA?"

X again paused, and spoke a little more softly.

_Because I am not a robot._

"Unbelievable!" Quatre said and took a quick sip of the tea he had just fixed for the five pilots.

"Yes, to have bonded with that suit already, it's incredible!" Wufei agreed.

The five Gundam pilots were all sitting around a small room beside the hangar where X was, only a door and a large window separated them from the massive machine. Duo glanced at the robot and then grabbed a glass of tea.

"Yeah, but I still get the creeps from looking at that thing."

Quatre nodded. "It's so advanced... I guess that and the fact that it's so _imposing_, you just can't feel comfortable when you're around it... at least for me."

Wufei and Duo both nodded.

"We're not even sure who Lea is going to side with, right? That suit's too dangerous, we have to get rid of it." Wufei said solemnly, taking a sip of his own cup of tea.

"If we destroy that suit, though, Lea will go with it." Trowa said quietly. All five pilots lowered their heads, contemplating their situation.

"If Lea decides to fight alongside Sakio, then we will have to kill her. But if she decides fight with us, but somehow loses control of X, then she may turn on us." Wufei thought aloud. "It has a more advanced system, which is comparable to the Zero System."

Duo shook his head. "It's a lose-lose situation. We have to kill her."

"No!" Heero again yelled. "It's not her fault that we dragged her into this, we'd be killing an innocent."

Trowa put a hand on Heero's shoulder and spoke quietly.

"She's already bonded with it, there's no going back now."

Quatre sighed. "Then we have no choice but to trust her. I believe she is a good person, but we can't allow her to make the wrong choices."

"Right. We should keep an eye on her, and make sure the robot is also in top condition."

All five Gundam pilots nodded.

"Then it's settled. As soon as Lea is comfortable with X, we'll kill Sakio."

Lea stared at the massive suit in front of her. She was sitting on X's large hand now.

"You're... not a robot?"

_I am and I am not. What you see is complete robotics, but the main power source is a real human being. I am human._

"You're a human?"

_I am... and I am not. I was created in a test tube, made for this one purpose._

Lea's mouth hung open in amazement.

_From the day I was born they called me X, and told me what it was I had to do. I trained hard everyday, and every night I was thrown into a small, cold cell, so I couldn't escape. The scientists and personal trainers brought me up like I was an animal, giving me commands and such, as if I had no brain of my own. Only one man showed me any compassion at all._

"Sakio." Lea answered, as if reading his mind.

_Yes. And every day he would bring his little niece, who was not more than a year old. And every day he would let me hold her, and he told me, "She's going to be the next pilot."_

Lea paused for a second, and then it made sense. "Me? You saw me when I was a baby?"

_And what a beautiful baby you were..._

Lea blushed and she could hear X clearing his throat. "But... I thought... my brother..."

_Yes, I found out about your brother a little while after that, just before the X was finished. _

"So I was chosen to pilot the X? Why not my brother? Or was it..." Lea thought for a moment and then jumped to her feet. "Did he know? Did Sakio know my brother would be killed?"

X fell silent. Lea's eyes widened as all the pieces of the puzzle gradually began to come together.

"It was planned, wasn't it? Sakio planned on killing Damon from the very beginning." Lea, suddenly feeling incredibly sick and weak, fell forward, barely grabbing onto the rail and smashing into it. Already she could feel a bruise forming on her chest. Her eyes were wide in terror.

"How could he... how could he kill..."

She slid from the rail and hit the ground. Lea lifted her hands and stared at them, shaking furiously, tears forming in her eyes. A voice from behind her spoke softly.

"Lea?"

Lea didn't turn around, but she recognized the voice. Trowa kneeled down beside her and lay his hand on her shoulder.

"Lea, what's wrong?" Lea sobbed and then turned and threw her arms around Trowa's neck, crying like there was no tomorrow. Trowa sat there a moment, a little shocked from what had happened, then he hesitantly brought his arms around Lea, and held her tightly.

"It's alright... everything's going to be... alright."

Lea sniffed and suddenly realized what she had done. She abruptly let go of Trowa. "I-I'm sorry... I just... lost control..."

Trowa stared at her, and then smiled warmly. "It happens to all of us. Hey, do you... um... want to take a walk or something? I was just about to..."

Lea blinked up at him, and then rubbed her eyes. "Yeah... okay..."

Trowa stood and held out his hand and Lea grabbed onto it.

_His hand is so warm... _she thought, staring at Trowa's hand. He blushed and lifted Lea to her feet.

"Follow me." Trowa said quietly.

"Where are you taking me?" Lea asked, looking around her. She hadn't seen this corridor before, hadn't even known it existed. Trowa only smiled mischievously.

"We're almost there."

Lea followed the green-eyed boy down one corridor and up to a flight of stairs. They climbed and climbed, for what felt like hours. Lea was getting tired by the time they reached a large metal door.

"Are you ready?" Trowa turned to face her and asked. Lea nodded, not knowing exactly what to expect behind this mystery door. Trowa pushed lightly on the door, and it swung open.

Lea gasped at the sheer beauty that lay before her. They were on the very top of the hangar, which was completely flat, with a medium height railing going all around the perimeter, but beyond the hangar was the most beautiful landscape Lea had ever seen. Tall mountains shrouded in a light evening mist, with large, twisted oak trees all around the bases. The tall green grass blew in a warm breeze, and the leaves crackled and sounded like ocean waves, crashing against some unseen shore. Beyond the mountains, an orange sun began to set.

"It's gorgeous..." Lea breathed. Trowa grabbed her hand and led her to the very edge, and stood gazing at the scenery. Lea took a deep breath and sighed with contentment. "Thank you, Trowa." Lea said and smiled at the bright-eyed boy standing next to her. "This is really... nice."

Trowa blushed but then smiled. "Oh look, do you see that bird over there?"

Lea looked up into the sky, and saw a single white dove, gliding on the gentle breeze. "How pretty..."

"Yeah, doves are supposed to be a sign of peace."

Lea turned to the Gundam pilot and stared at him. Trowa gave her a side-glance, but then returned to staring up at the sky. Lea smiled and leaned on his shoulder.

"This is so nice..."

"Yeah..."

The two were silent for a while, watching the sun slowly setting beyond the mountains. Lea lifted her hand and gently set it down on Trowa's. Then the sun disappeared, and the sky grew dark. One by one, tiny stars began to appear in the sky. A shooting star.

"Make a wish." Trowa said. Lea smiled and whispered lightly.

"I wish this moment would last forever..."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: I hope you all liked this chapter, even though it had a little bit of romance in it... XP But I like Trowa way to much for my own good... please review my story with any questions or comments or anything. Yay!


	6. Nightmares

X

Chapter 6:

Nightmares

"Sorry Lea, but it just-won't-budge!" Duo huffed as he tried to pry the old window next to Lea's bed open. Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei were in front of the computers again, working on how they would infiltrate Sakio's hideout. Lea had been with them for about a week now, and she was now comfortable with them all. Just last night, though, Lea had passed out again, simply because Wufei noticed there was a dent in the X and tried to fix it. Her head was hurting again, and she had asked Duo to open the decrepit window situated over Lea's bed.

"That's okay, I'll live." Lea said quietly and turned over in her bed. Duo sighed and walked back over to Wufei.

"You can do repairs, just wait until she falls asleep."

"I _know_ that, Maxwell." Wufei said angrily, and typed a fake password on the computer.

"We've located Sakio's hideout, he's in Kyoto." Quatre said, and typed in something else.

"It's an underground bunker, made during World War II."

"Sounds like it would be easy to get into." Trowa said, and scooted closer to Quatre's computer to get a closer look. His jaw dropped. On the screen was a map of the bunker's exact coordinates.

"That must be at least 800 feet below sea-level!"

"What!" Duo yelled and sprang over to see the map. "Impossible! And look at all those tunnels, how're we supposed to get in there? It looks like a bowl of spaghetti!"

"Well put." Wufei sneered. "Has Heero gotten to see this yet?"

Trowa shook his head. "He just disappeared somewhere..."

Duo sighed and put his hands behind his head. "Well, this hangar's pretty big, he could be anywhere."

Heero walked along a dark hall. All the windows were boarded up, but not completely. No rays of light came through the cracks, even though he knew it was daytime. Suddenly, he felt something breathing on his neck. He turned around abruptly, but only saw a shadow.

"What do you want now?" Heero asked, as if he knew the strange entity.

"I want you to kill her." The shadow said. It felt to Heero like he was whispering right in his ear, even though the shadow was standing right in front of him.

"Why?"

"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her."

"No! I won't!"

"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her."

"NO!"

"Kill her. Kill her... kill her... kill..."

There was a sudden flash of light, and Heero was falling, falling into some great, black void.

"NO!" Heero yelled and sat up in bed. He was drenched in sweat, and felt cold and clammy. The door to his bedroom slowly opened. "Who is it?" Heero said, sounding very shook up.

"Heero? It's me..." the door opened up a little more to reveal a girl, only slightly shorter than he was, with her covers draped over her shoulders like a cape. "It's me, Lea."

Heero blinked in the light that flooded his room from the bright doorway. Lea quickly closed the door behind her as she walked in.

"Heero, are you okay? I... I thought I heard you yelling..."

"Did I wake you up?" Heero asked, grabbing a handful of sheet and drying his face. Lea stared at him and shook her head.

"I couldn't sleep." She then looked at Heero's large window at the far side of the room. Lightning flashed as thunder clapped in the distance. "I hate thunderstorms. They freak me out..." she said and absently sat down at the foot of Heero's bed. "I mean, I don't mind the rain or the lightning, but it's the thunder that shakes me up." Lea closed her eyes as she listened to the rain falling. Heero watched her.

"I don't like thunder either, it always sounds like an explosion." He turned his head and stared out the window.

"Why... were you yelling?" Lea said, stifling a yawn. Heero leaned against the wall behind him and sighed.

"I had a nightmare."

"A nightmare? What happened?" Lea said, leaning backwards, and then falling down onto the bed. Heero again let his gaze fall on her. Suddenly Heero felt relaxed, as if he could really tell her everything, every single nightmare he had been having for the past few days, and he felt comfortable with her presence. Lea felt somewhat mutually; now no matter how loud the thunder would roar, she would feel safe if Heero was there.

"If it's alright... I don't really want to talk about it." Heero said, mainly to himself. Lea slowly nodded and yawned again.

"I understand...you don't have to talk about it... if you don't want to..." Lea was asleep. Heero stared at her, just as thunder banged in the distance.

Lea awoke to find she was still on the edge of Heero's bed. Had she slept there all night? She sat up and looked around. Heero was apparently still asleep on the far side of the bed. His hair was all ruffled, more even than usual. Lea smiled at how peaceful he looked. His chest moved slowly up and down, and Lea watched him, as if waiting for him to do something amazing. But what happened next, Lea wouldn't have expected.

"...Lea..."

He was calling out her name.

"Heero?"

"...Lea..."

Lea stared at him, and he slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

"...Kill Lea... Kill her..."

Lea gasped and jumped to her feet. Heero also stood up and walked over to her. She backed up against the wall. Heero's eyes were closed now, but he still pursued her.

"Heero! Wake up, Heero!"

Lea cried out frantically. Heero reached his hands out and grabbed her neck and held tightly and for a split second, Lea couldn't breathe. Her windpipe was closed off by Heero's cold hands.

Then, almost as quickly as he had grabbed her neck, Heero let go and slid to the floor, dragging Lea with him. She fell on top of him, and Heero woke up.

"...Lea?" Heero spoke with a start and sat up, throwing Lea off of him, who was breathing hard. "Lea, what were you...?" Heero asked, sounding a little shaky, his whole face turned red.

"What's wrong with you?" Lea yelled suddenly, rubbing her neck.

"What?" Heero said, turning even more red. "But I didn't..."

Lea stood up and sighed deeply. "Are you alright? You were probably just dreaming or something..."

"What... was I doing something?" Heero asked, the blood in his face leaving, making him grow pale. Lea stared at him and then closed her eyes.

"No... you were just sleep walking..." Lea stepped over Heero and slammed the door behind her. Heero stood up, feeling dazed.

"What... just happened?"

_Is there something wrong?_

"No, X, I'm okay."

_No, you're not. _

Lea groaned and held out her hand to the robot. X lowered his hand and she climbed aboard it. "Well, I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" Lea fished around in her shirt and pulled out her pendant. She swung it back and forth, staring at it.

_Okay._

Lea sighed once again, and dropped the pendant back into her shirt. The two were silent for a long time. X was beginning to worry when Lea stood.

"Have you seen Trowa at all?"

_I have. He was just here a little while ago. I think he said he was going outside._

Lea nodded. "Thank you." She then jumped off the enormous robotic hand and headed towards the door.

_Lea, where did you get that scar?_

"What?" Lea said suddenly, as her hand shot to her face. "Oh this... I guess I forgot all about it. A bullet grazed my cheek just before I came here."

_A bullet? From whom?_

Lea closed her eyes and opened the door.

"Sakio."

Trowa was sitting down in the moist grass. It was just past morning, and the dew was already beginning to dry up. He suddenly fell backward, lying in the grass, and staring up at the blue sky.

"Trowa?" Lea asked, leaning over his head and obscuring Trowa's vision. Trowa blinked, but couldn't find anything to say, so he just stared. Lea smiled and lay down beside him in the grass.

"It's lovely out here..." Lea said softly. Trowa closed his eyes.

"Lea, is something wrong?"

Lea sat up straight. "What? No, why?"

"I don't know..." Trowa said, opening his eyes and staring at her. "You just seem... troubled, that's all. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... because there's nothing to talk about." Lea answered somewhat angrily. She stood up. "I'm kind of hungry, where's Duo?"

"In the kitchens." Trowa said, closing his eyes again.

"Duo! Hey, Duo!" Lea called. She was in the kitchen, but Duo was nowhere in sight. Suddenly the pantry door opened up.

"Over here, kiddo!" he said, sounding muffled behind a tower of food which he was trying to carry. "Gimme a hand, will ya?"

Lea quickly grabbed the eggs, which looked like they would be the first to topple. Duo quickly made his way to the counter and lay out all the ingredients.

"Alright, now, are you willing to help me prepare the breakfast of the century?"

Lea smiled slightly. "Sure,"

Duo grabbed a fresh pan and dumped the eggs into it. "So where were you last night?"

"I... uhm... I got a little scared and so I... went to Heero's room..."

Duo nearly dropped the egg he was holding. "What? What the heck were you doing there?"

"Nothing, just the thunder kind of freaked me out, and I heard him yelling..."

Duo nodded. "He was probably just having a nightmare."

Lea cocked her head, unsure how to reply to this statement.

"And you're not worried about him at all?"

"I _am_ worried... but you know, we all get nightmares..." Duo stared at the cooking egg in the pan, intent on watching it, and not Lea.

"You mean, you five. Why so?"

Duo immediately froze. "Because we all used to be soldiers."

"Really?" Lea said and sat down on the nearest chair. Duo continued.

"We were the five Gundam pilots."

Lea's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"

Duo nodded, as if used to all this already. "I piloted the Deathscythe. Heero piloted Wing Zero, Quatre Sandrock, Trowa Heavyarms, and Wu-man-"

"Don't call me that." Wufei said angrily. He was standing in the doorway and was apparently watching the whole scene. "I piloted Nataku."

Lea slid off the chair a little. "You mean... you were all... Gundam pilots?"

"What we just said." Duo sighed and flipped the egg over. Lea took a deep breath, as if to calm herself.

"Oh my God..." she said and pulled her hand through her hair. She felt a slight pain race through her head when she touched her scar on her forehead. Wufei eyed her cautiously.

"Feeling any better?"

Lea nearly jumped. "What? Oh... oh yeah. Much better." She cleared her throat and absent-mindedly began playing with a strand of her hair. Wufei took a deep breath.

"I'm uh... I'm sorry... for the other night..."

Lea immediately let her strand of hair fall. She lowered her head. "It's alright. I should have told you about X..."

Wufei nodded and left the room. Lea sighed.

_Is this how it's going to be from now on? Will I live in fear of that machine being broken?_

After breakfast, Lea decided to go looking for another route out of the compound. However, this time no one tried to stop her. She had gained their trust. Lea paused in her search and gazed at her hands. They were bandaged up rather sloppily, the burn marks from the X were dissapearing, but not as soon as Lea would have liked. Heero nearly saw the burns that morning, which Lea tried to hide by wearing her favorite gloves which she wore when she was racing; she took them everywhere. The bandages were peeling off, and more and more of Lea's scars were showing. She had scratched the cut on her face and forehead, the bandages becoming uncomfortable, and now the cuts were once again opened and bleeding somewhat.

"Why me?" she said quietly to herself as she began once again to walk slowly down the hall. She took off the bandages on her head and hands, exposing scars which otherwise would have been completely unknown. She stared at the floor as she walked. "Why... why... why...?"

Lea whispered, and then paused and looked up. Standing in front of her was Trowa. He looked surprised to find her so deep inside the hangar, but what he was most surprised about was how she looked. There was a large scar on her forehead where she had hit the concrete floor, and her hands were burned.

"Lea..." Trowa took a step forward and lightly touched Lea's scar. She flinched a little bit, the scar not being completely healed. Trowa grabbed her by the arm and led her down the hall, to a small room. He shut the door behind him.

"Trowa?" Lea asked, not knowing what to expect from the enigmatic boy. On the wall to Lea's left were small cabinets. Trowa dug around in them until he discovered a large roll of gauze. He began wrapping it gently around Lea's hands.

"Where did you get these burns?"

Lea paused for a moment, trying to consider how she would tell him.

"From X. The wires were electric, and I tried to break them."

"Why?"

"... They hurt me..."

The two were silent for a while. Trowa finished wrapping her hands and then began to attend to the scar on her forehead.

"If the X is so dangerous, then you don't have to pilot it."

"But I've already bonded with him, I can't just..."

"Yes you can. If it's hurting you, then you should stop."

_But I don't want to stop. What will I do if I don't pilot X? There's nothing else for me to do, nowhere for me to go. This is my only option, so I'm gonna do it._

Lea stared at the floor once more. Trowa drew the gauze away and looked deep into Lea's eyes.

"Lea, if you choose to pilot X, then I will help in whatever way I can."

Lea smiled and embraced the gundam pilot.

"Thank you."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Yay! Some foreshadowing-ness taken care of! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and please review! . Thanks!


	7. The Story Of X

X

Chapter 7:

The Story Of X

Sakio drummed his fingers on his desk irritably.

"That idiot boy, how could he have let those thugs beat him up again?"

Sakio was in his office, at the top military base HQ, run by Romefeller. Standing beside him was his assistant, Maraia.

"Sir, X has come." she said rather quietly.

Sakio waved his hand as if to brush away his previous thoughts.

"Let him in."

The door opened, and a young boy, of about 7 years of age, entered. He had straight white hair, and piercing blue eyes. There were bruises all along both his arms, _for disobeying the professors,_ Sakio thought.

"Sir, you called for me?"

"Yes, X, Lea is now 5 years old. If you would like, would you take her out for a stroll around the compound?"

X instantly brightened up. "Yes sir, I would be happy to." X turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him.

"He's practically singing, the fool. It's just too bad we have to fuse him with the robot..." Sakio said and took a cigarette out of his drawer and lit it. Maraia nodded.

"He's such a sweet child, can't you get somebody else?"

Sakio shook his head. "No, he's been made for this operation. We can't just turn him loose in the world now, he would never make it very far."

"I agree sir, but what of Lea? It's not very fair to let her befriend the boy. If she finds out what our plan is for him..."

"She won't find out. She's too young, and she probably won't even remember the boy. She can't stay with us any longer, though. I'm afraid we'll have to turn her into the orphanage along with her brother. Get her things ready."

Maraia nodded without hesitation. "Yes sir."

X sighed angrily. "Today's the day." He took one last look at his small, dark room. The walls and floor was solid concrete, with a tiny window near the ceiling. Sunlight filtered into the room. He frowned as he thought of all the hardships the people there had put him through over the past 17 years. But now that he was stronger, faster, and smarter even than the scientists, he was a real threat. Just last night Sakio had told X that all he had been training for over the 17 years of his life would be put into action. X wondered what it was Sakio would have him do.

Maraia entered the room. "X, time to go."

X turned and his gaze fell on Maraia's. Her eyes were slightly red, had she been crying?

"Maraia, what's wrong?"

Suddenly Maraia put her hands on his shoulders. "X, you must run. Run away."

"What!" X exclaimed.

"Run away. If they find you, they're going to-"

Suddenly a loud gunshot rang through the small room. Maraia gasped, and then fell onto X.

"Maraia? Maraia!" X cried out. He could smell blood. He looked up to see Maraia's killer. "S-sakio?"

X's eyes widened in terror as Sakio drew nearer.

"Why? Why Sakio? Why did you... why did you kill her!"

Sakio didn't say anything, he just grabbed X's hand and dragged him out of the room. X fought as hard as he could, but he stopped when they reached the large robot in the hangar portion of the complex.

"The robot..."

"The robot's name is X." Sakio said hastily. X blinked as he watched the robot passing by.

"X..."

The two finally reached a large compartment right underneath the cockpit. Sakio grabbed X by the scruff of the neck as the hatch door opened. He then threw him inside.

"Sakio! Wait! What are you doing!"

The hatch door slowly began to close.

"This is what you were created for, X."

"What I was created for? What do you mean! Sakio!"

The hatch closed, and for a few seconds, X was in total darkness.

"SAKIO! SAKIO!" He yelled, banging hard on the hatch door. Suddenly, a green light switched on in the small room. A strange greenish-tinged liquid began to slowly rise up in the compartment. X's yells became more frantic as he banged harder and harder on the door.

"SAKIO! SAKIO! SA-" Suddenly, wires from every direction hit X all at once. X cried out in the intense pain. The liquid's level got higher.

"Sakio... Sakio..." X cried out as he felt weaker and weaker. The liquid was now just under his chin.

_I'm going to die, right here. Lea, where are you now? Sakio, why did you betray me? Why?_

The liquid now filled X's lungs and he began to breathe normally again. He was now completely fused with the robot.

_LEA!_

Lea turned suddenly around. She was 15 years old now.

"Lea? Is something wrong?" Damon asked tentatively.

Lea shook her head. "It felt like... someone was calling me..." Damon looked at her a moment, and then slipped her hand in his.

"Are you worried about the race today?"

Lea stared at the ground. Damon nodded. "I understand. But I won't lose. You still have that pendant I gave you?"

Lea pulled the pendant out of her shirt. "Sure do."

The two were walking towards the race track. Damon was going to race that day. Lea smiled.

"I'll be rooting for you, so look for me in the sidelines."

"Will do." Damon said and smiled back.

The two finally reached the tracks. Damon headed towards the shower room to change into his suit. Lea decided to go and check on the race car, she loved it so.

It was a bright red car, and it shined like the sun. Lea smiled at the mere sight of it, when suddenly she heard voices coming from behind her. Instinctively she leaned on the car, making it look like it belonged to her. Damon's friend, Shibo, nearly jumped at the sight of Lea.

"Lea! What are you doing here? The race is about to start."

Lea glared at Shibo. He seemed to be very tense about something. Lea shrugged it off and walked towards the door. Shibo didn't notice that she had, instead of leaving, ducked behind a tower of new tires.

Shibo moved towards the car and pulled out of his pocket a pair of wire cutters. He squatted down and clipped the brake cable. Lea gasped and silently made her way toward the door.

"Damon! Don't go into the race!" Lea yelled at her oblivious brother.

"Don't be silly, Lea. Why wouldn't I go?"

The car pulled out. Lea watched helplessly as the car took a sharp turn and didn't brake. The car sped out of control until it hit the wall head on.

"DAMON!" Lea yelled and ran towards the wreck. Paramedics immediately stopped her. "No! Damon!" She forced her way through the paramedics and other racers who had stopped to take a look.

"Damon!" She breathed when she saw her brother. His head was bloody, and it appeared that he was pinned inside the car, which had sandwiched him. "Oh my God..."

Damon opened up his eyes slightly and smiled.

"Hey sis." Damon coughed up a little bit of blood. "How's it goin'?"

"Damon..." Lea said and laid her hand lightly on his face.

"It's okay... I don't feel much."

Lea looked deep into Damon's eyes.

"It's the end of the race for me..."

"No! Don't say that!" Lea exclaimed suddenly. Damon closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Lea."

Lea gasped at the still boy in front of her.

"Damon..." She closed her eyes tightly and held Damon's head in her arms. "Don't leave me..."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Haha! I've always wanted to write something where everything made sense in a certain chapter... In case you haven't noticed yet, this chapter was a flashback of very key elements in this story, covering X and Lea. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after writing this chapter; all that foreshadowing, and now I've gotten it all out of my system! Yay! Please review if you liked or disliked this chapter!


	8. Stolen

X

Chapter 8:

Stolen

An explosion.

"W-what was that!" Lea yelled suddenly, jumping out of her seat. All five gundam pilots also stood. The entire room was shaking. All six people were in the control room, hacking and at the same time teaching Lea how to be useful. A large crack surged through the floor like a bolt of lightning.

"X!" Heero yelled and ran towards the door. It was sealed tight. "Sakio must be here in the hangar!"

Lea stared wide-eyed. The floor was cracked, but not split completely. She looked up for no apparent reason and saw a large crack in the ceiling. And then the whole world slowed down. She could see the ceiling fall, but her legs just wouldn't move. Someone was yelling. She could feel something hitting her from behind, and she toppled forward, hitting the ground hard.

Dust filled the room and everyone began coughing.

"Lea!"

Les opened her eyes.

"Lea!"

It was Duo. Duo was calling her. Lea put her hands down in front of her and tried to get up off the ground, but something was holding her down.

"I'm okay..." she said quietly.

"Lea, is that you?" Came Heero's worried voice. Lea couldn't see a thing through the thick fog. The wind had been knocked out of her, and her arm was burning like it was on fire. Despite it all, though, she tried again to lift herself. Something slipped off her back and hit the ground. The dust began to clear. Lea coughed and then opened her eyes.

"Oh my God..." she breathed. Laying in front of her, completely motionless, was Trowa. "Trowa!" she yelled and shook the body furiously. "Trowa, wake up! Trowa!"

Trowa's eyes fluttered open and he lifted himself off the floor.

"I-I'm alright..." he said breathlessly. Underneath him was a small red pool.

"Trowa... you're hurt..." Lea moved to help Trowa off his feet but he immediately waved her hand away.

"I'm okay, really..." he clutched his side and then pulled his hand away. Blood. Red blood stained Trowa's hand and shirt. Something collapsed in the distance.

"The building's falling apart..." Heero said. Duo quickly threw Trowa's arm around his own shoulder and lifted him to his feet.

"I'm fine..." Trowa muttered angrily. Heero grabbed Lea's arm and lifted her up. A piercing pain shot through her entire body and she cried out.

"My arm..." she said at seeing everyone's surprised looks. Heero immediately examined it.

"Keep your mouth shut, and try not to scream." he said and pulled Lea's arm outwards and up so hard and fast, Lea didn't have time to react. Before she knew it, her arm felt worse then ever, but it was usable. Quatre and Wufei were busy at the controls.

"Escape route 3 is closed off, and so is 4 and 5."

"How safe are 1 and 2?" Heero asked, splitting a piece of wood which was found in the pile of rubble in the middle of the floor and making a splint for Lea's arm.

"There are troops stationed outside of number 1, but number 2 seems clear."

Lea's eyes filled with tears at the pain Heero was putting her through. Suddenly, he picked her up and ran out the door, accompanied by the other four Gundam pilots.

They ran down to a large metal door and from there went directly upstairs, apparently heading towards the roof.

There was the door that Trowa had showed her only a week beforehand. It still looked the same, and Lea smiled slightly at the thought of that beautiful day. Heero let Lea down gently on her feet, and then opened the door.

A man, of about middle-age, smiled back at them.

"Sakio!" Heero yelled and instinctively drew his gun. Sakio didn't stop smiling.

"Well, well, if it isn't my sweet Lea, all grown up I see. And yet, you still make the mistake of choosing to hang around the wrong people." Sakio shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. You should really think about all your options before acting upon one of them, right?"

Lea glared at the man. Heero's finger was on the trigger, and he pulled back just a little bit.

"Now, now, Heero. If you choose to become violent, then I will just have to fight back." Sakio eyed Lea with a new found interest. "But go ahead and shoot, if you dare. Once you pull that trigger, Heero Yuy, Lea's life will end."

Lea's eyes widened. "What?"

Sakio chuckled to himself. "That injection of mine? It's a rare substance which clogs any and all blood vessels it happens to be in. A slow and very painful death. And the way to make the substance active, is for me to push this button."

Sakio fished out of his pocket a small controller with a small yellow button on top. It gleamed menacingly.

"All around the vicinity there are stationed large metal poles. You see, when a certain amount of sound waves hit your body, the substance stops dead, which also makes your blood flow stop. So..."

Sakio put the controller back into his pocket and grabbed Lea's chin. She didn't move.

"If you want to see this girl breathe again, then you _will_ lower that gun."

Heero instead pointed the gun at the man's head. "You're bluffing!"

"Oh? Would you care for a demonstration, then?" And before anyone could even move, Sakio drew out the controller and pressed the button. Lea stopped, and then felt strange. Her body felt warm, and then warmer. She felt sick, and fell to her knees. The warmth got hotter and hotter, until Lea couldn't stand it. She screamed and Sakio pressed the button once more. The pain and sickness subsided slowly, and Duo helped Lea back to her feet.

"Now Lea, if you'll follow me please."

Lea blinked and pushed Duo away. "No."

"Now, now, don't be like that. I don't want to hurt you, I still need you."

"So go ahead! Push the button! If it's not gonna kill me then I can stand it!"

Sakio paused and he frowned. "I can torture you until you feel like ripping your own eyes out, if you wish it to be that way. Or you can save yourself the pain and leave your foolish friends and join me." Again Sakio's grin returned. He fingered his controller as if it were silk. Lea stood rooted to the spot, unable to choose which path she would take. It was a fork in the road, but who was too decide what her fate would be if she stayed behind, or if she went? There was no true deciding factor...

"Oh yes, and did I tell you, Lea?"

Lea looked up, temporarily distracted from her thoughts.

"Unless you choose to come with me, then I will take you by force, and this entire hangar will be destroyed."

Something in Lea's self-conscious snapped in two. Her whole world crashed once again as she was faced with her life, or the lives of others. She took a step forward. Voices behind her sounded like birds, twittering madly, and then something grabbed her arm. She looked backward and saw Trowa hanging onto her, on his face a look of desperation. She pulled away and then slowly walked to Sakio. Now the voices were audible.

"Lea! No!"

"Don't do it!"

"Lea, please don't!"

Sakio reached out his hand and Lea grabbed onto it.

_Where is right and wrong now? Where is the thick line between good and evil? It's all blurred, and now..._

Sakio smiled warmly for the first time and gathered Lea into his arms as a previously unseen helicopter swooped down from the sky and Sakio climbed inside. And for some strange reason, Lea held onto Sakio for the entire flight, and fell asleep out of exhaustion.

"Lea?"

Lea opened her eyes. The sky above her was dark and thick with black clouds. A familiar voice was in front of her. She was laying on the ground and she immediately sat up straight.

"X?" she said breathlessly. In front of her was sitting a boy, of about 18 years of age, with untidy platinum hair and piercing blue eyes. The eyes that always called out to her. "Where am I?"

X shrugged and looked around. "I know you're in Sakio's compound right now,"

Lea now too looked around. "But this is a dream..."

"Yes but, you're still in the hands of Sakio."

Lea leaned backwards again into the green grass. X didn't move from his spot.

"I had a very strange feeling, when Sakio grabbed me. I... I couldn't let go of him."

X's eyes widened. "What?" He then shook his head. "Lea, you're mistaken. Nothing good can come of Sakio..."

"But you said!" Lea said suddenly springing up from the ground. "You said he was the only person who took care of you!"

X lowered his eyes. "Yes, but that's not the whole story..."

"But nobody is completely evil!"

"But you don't know!" X yelled suddenly. It was the first time Lea saw him angry. "You don't know the horror that it was... How it felt... It wasn't the wires or the strange liquid or the burns that hurt me the most, it was the fact that Sakio, the only one person I had cared most about besides you, had betrayed me."

Lea stared, dumb-founded. _But why am I finding it so hard to believe that Sakio is such a bad person? He tried to shoot me, after all..._

X face turned from sad to bitterly angry. "That man is an abomination to the human race!" Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, X gasped and covered his mouth, a memory flooding his mind.

_That boy is an abomination to the human race!_

He screamed. Lea nearly fell over at all the emotion that she felt, and she too felt like screaming, though she held it in. X began to whimper, and then he buried his face in his hands, and all the hatred flooded back to him.

_Abomination! Wretched creature! Nasty beast! He's not even human, he's an animal! Why are you always treating him like that, Sakio? As if he even knows what you're saying! Foul! Disgusting! Unfit to live with us!_

X dug his hands through his hair, and felt tears falling down his cheeks.

"X..."

X looked up and saw Lea standing next to him, a warm smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around him, and X stopped crying.

"It's alright..." she whispered calmly. X closed his eyes.

"I wish it would all just stop..."

Lea held him more tightly, but said nothing.

"I want it all to stop..." Suddenly X grabbed Lea's hands and drew them away. "I'm alright."

"X..." Lea looked painfully at him. He still hadn't let go of her hands.

"You must get out of the compound. Take the robot with you. Okay?"

X let go of Lea's hands and she fell away into darkness.

Lea sat straight up in bed. She was sitting in a large queen-sized bed, rose-colored satin sheets covered her up, while the dim light of several candles revealed little about the room. Dark hardwood floors, with expensive-looking Asian-styled carpets, a small desk with some writing equipment, a vanity, a chest of drawers, a seating area and a fireplace. Lea gasped at the opulence. The door swung open. Sakio ran his fingers through his hair as he stepped inside.

"Come with me."

Lea started, but instead decided otherwise.

"Hurry up now, or I'll be called away somewhere else. You do want a tour, right?"

Lea swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Where's X?"

"I was going to take you to it. Now if you'll follow me..."

Sakio led Lea out into the hall, which was also extremely opulent. He smiled seeing her surprised face and opened the large oak doors. Lea gasped at how different those two rooms were from the rest of the compound.

"It looks like a military base," she breathed, watching all the men moving about with clipboards, checking things off and yelling instructions to one another. Sakio turned and began walking down one of the steel staircases.

"Where's X?"she said. Sakio didn't stop walking, nor did his smile fade at all.

"Right this way."

Lea followed him down several more hallways, people wearing all black eyed Lea cautiously, as if she were a tiger being led around by an idiot. She eyed their guns in holsters nervously.

"And here it is," Sakio said, opening one large metal door, revealing the giant robot, X.

"X!" Lea yelled and ran up to it. _We're getting out of here, X, are you ready?_

_Not yet. Wait 'till tonight. Sakio's still got that controller. _

Lea nodded and stared longingly at the robot.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Sakio shut the door behind him quietly.

_What do you mean?_

"I'm such an idiot, if only I were stronger I could've maybe stopped Sakio early on..."

_Don't think like that. It wasn't you're fault at all._

"You know, you and X are very much alike." Sakio said from across the room. Lea turned and faced him. "You two think the same way, and your hearts are pure, although they have been tainted by misfortune..."

Lea turned again to the robot.

_Tonight. Tonight we shall escape._

"What is it... that you want me for?" she said, seemingly talking to the robot. Sakio frowned.

"It would seem like I want to take control of the world, wouldn't it? But that's far from the truth. You see, this robot has the power to bring people back from the dead."

Lea jumped. "But that's impossible!"

Sakio shook his head. "Not with this robot. The plans for it were found, not made. Found in some ruins that were, until recently, underwater, off the coast of Scotland."

"So you want this robot so you can bring someone back from the dead?"

Sakio nodded. "My late wife, Shiori, died in a car accident 20 years ago." Sakio lowered his eyes. "I was hoping, that I could build the fabled monster that could bring people back to life. You see, I was a scientist who originally worked for Romefeller. One day, a general in the base in Scotland asked me to come and look at some old documents that had washed up on shore that some of his soldiers had discovered. I went and saw the documents. Low and behold, there was the plans for the fabled robot which could raise the dead. I was overjoyed, and I immediately quit Romefeller to study the blueprints and build the first model. But the robot required two people, one pilot and one life source."

Lea gasped. "So X is..."

"What's keeping that thing moving. Think of him as a battery, one that doesn't die for a very, very long time."

"That's insane!" Lea yelled. Sakio's eyes flashed.

"X is one of many test-tube 'batteries' that I've created."

"Created?"

"Yes. For two years I built and re-built about 18 models, and created 18 different 'batteries'. Each one identical, except they just _kept dying_. It was very disheartening. The robots also failed. Of course, one robot was successful. The robot X was built about 18 years ago. So another battery came and we trained him to pilot the robot. We also called him X. All the scientists hated him, simply because they hated what I was doing. But, I had to see her again,"

Sakio looked up at the robot. "So I'm not as malicious as you think."

Lea stared at the ground a moment. "I... I understand how you feel. I would do anything to get my brother back."

Sakio walked up to her and grabbed her chin. "And you can, my dear. With this robot, you can have your brother back."

Lea drew away. "It isn't right. It's not right..."

"That man was not sent by me, Lea. He was sent by Romefeller. But together, we can bring him back. We can bring Damon back. Will you join me?" Sakio held out his hand for her.

Lea stared at him a moment, and tossed the thoughts over and over again in her mind.

_I can bring him back, and everything will go back to what it used to be, and I'll be happy. That's all I ever asked for. Happiness._

Lea held out her hand and Sakio took it in his. He smiled.

"Come, I'll show you how to handle the X."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: OO Uh... what should I write about this chapter? Kinda strange, huh? How Lea betrayed the Gundam pilots and all... clears throat But of course, the fact that Lea would be considered a traitor has a significant meaning for me. But that's too much to explain for now! (Maybe some other time...) All in all, Lea and I are extremely similar, and that's what makes her so easy to portray.


	9. Wanted

X

Chapter 9:

Wanted

"I can't believe it..." Trowa breathed to himself.

"All soldiers have left the area, it's clear." Quatre said quietly. All the gundam pilots were in the main control room, seated in random metal chairs. Quatre, Heero and Wufei were busy at the computers, focusing mainly on the retreating soldiers.

"I can't believe it..." Trowa again mumbled. Quatre shot him a quick glance of concern, but decided not to ask. Not one of them were oblivious to Trowa's feelings towards Lea.

_Trowa, out of all of us, you were hurt the most... _Quatre thought to himself sadly, and turned in his chair, facing the gundam pilot.

"Trowa, can I get you something? Coffee maybe?"

Trowa continued to stare at the ground, unmoving. Quatre took a step closer.

"Trowa?"

"I'm fine." Trowa said sharply. Quatre flinched slightly at his angry words. Trowa lifted his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Quatre."

Quatre smiled. "It's alright. I understand..." Quatre's smile faded as he turned once again to the computer screens.

"In which direction was the helicopter heading?" Duo asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"North-East." Heero said. Trowa perked up slightly.

"They went back to the compound."

Heero nodded. "Right. We'll have to infiltrate it and take back the X."

"And then what?" Trowa said, his face set, knowing exactly what it was that they had to do. Heero stopped typing.

"We'll destroy it."

"And kill Lea in the process." Trowa shook his head slightly. "Alright. Let's do it."

Lea saw X standing right in front of her. He was in pain.

"X? X... are you okay?"

X writhed in pain. Some blood seemed to come out of his mouth.

"...X?" Lea breathed and moved closer to him. He was no longer moving. "X? X!" She yelled, furiously shaking his body. "Wake up, oh please, please wake up!"

"WAKE UP!" Sakio yelled, shaking the screaming girl from her nightmare. Lea opened her eyes.

"What's wrong with him? What are you doing to him?" She grabbed the collar of Sakio's suit. "Tell me!"

"Nothing, my dear. Nothing that would harm you..." Sakio slowly removed Lea's hands.

Lea flinched, suddenly feeling sore in her left shoulder. "What happened?"

Sakio eyed Lea warily. "We just had to make a few... adjustments. To the X, I mean."

"So why was he in pain?"

"Probably because he could feel it."

"Feel what?"

"Well, we had to remove the left arm of the machine to..."

Lea suddenly jumped up. "Remove his arm! Why!"

"To insure your absolute safety on the battlefield. We ran a few tests on it, and everything is fine, although you will be a little sore for a while."

"I see." Lea said quietly and stepped out of the large room. "I'm gonna go see him."

"X? Can you hear me?"

No response. Lea stared up at the huge steel robot. It's cold stare didn't fall on her, it's hand didn't move to lift her.

"I guess you're just a normal robot, then? The voice I heard was never there, and there was never anyone in this thing." Lea walked up to the robot and kicked it fiercely.

_Ouch!_

Lea froze. "X...?"

_Don't kick me, that hurts!_

"S-sorry..." Lea said and sat down. "So does this mean you're talking to me again?"

_It means you've made a terrible mistake, and I have to fix it._

"And how will you do that?"

_If I can escape this robot..._

"Escape? But you _are_ the robot, how can you escape from it?"

_I don't know._

Lea sighed and stared at the bolted door where X was trapped within. "What will happen... if I could get you out?"

There was a long pause before X finally spoke.

_I don't know._

"Don't you know a thing about this suit! I can't believe you've practically lived inside this machine for a year and you can't tell me anything about it!" Lea yelled angrily.

_...I am sorry._

Lea blinked, and then reached her hand out to the large metal one in front of her. She laid her hand lightly on top of X's.

"No, I'm sorry for yelling. Just sit tight, and I'll find a way to free you, I promise."

Lea felt like crying suddenly, knowing that if she freed X from the machine, she would never be able to get her brother back. Tears welled up in her eyes.

_...Lea..._

She hastily wiped them away. "I swear! I will get you out of there!" She then abruptly turned and ran towards the door. Sakio stood in her way.

"Get who out of where?" he glared at Lea and slapped her. Lea fell to the floor by the force of the hit. "Foolish girl! Do you really think I would let you destroy the only thing that will get my beloved back!"

"So then there is someone in there!" Lea yelled, pointing to the giant robot. "You actually put some human in that robot!"

Sakio knelt down so that he was facing Lea. "But you want your brother back too, right? If you save X's pathetic life, he will only suffer. He's not human; he was created in a laboratory, in a test tube."

Lea lowered her head. "I know that but..."

Sakio lightly grabbed her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. "Lea, you're happiness and my own depends on this. Now, board the X, and I'll give you instructions, and then you'll have you're brother back."

"But... what about X?"

"He'll be fine." Sakio held out his hand and once again, Lea took it in hers. He smiled and led her to the cockpit. Lea walked inside and the hatch door closed. She closed her eyes as all the wires hit her body at once, and the liquid filled the small chamber.

_He'll be fine... _Lea thought to herself.

_LEA! Stop, stop it now!" _X yelled.

_What's wrong? _

_What are you doing!_

_Bringing my brother back... _Lea thought and smiled.

_You've got to stop! Stop it now! This is wrong... it's wrong! Please stop!_

Suddenly, Lea's eyes shot open. She gasped. In front of her was X. He was screaming, crying, and scratching at a large metal door.

"SAKIO! SAKIO!" he yelled fiercely. Suddenly, underneath Lea a strange green liquid began to rise. Wires appeared out of nowhere and shot into X. He screamed even louder. Lea's eyes grew wide in fear and horror. X didn't give up. He began banging hard on the metal door. "SAKIO! SAKIO!" Then, he stopped, his eyes red and his fists ripped and bleeding. "Sakio..." he fell down onto his knees, staring blankly at the hatch door. "Why? Why...?"

The green liquid reached his shoulders, and then his neck. Then, X began to fight again. "No! NO!"

Then, the green liquid overtook him, and he was silenced. Lea couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. He was still fighting, thrashing around like a trapped animal. Then, Lea heard him like she always did, in her mind.

_Is this it? Am I going to die right here? Right now? Why, Sakio? Why did you betray me?_

Finally, Lea could feel herself able to move again. She moved slowly through the green liquid until she was face-to-face with X. Slowly, the boy's eyes opened. They were a solid, filmy white.

_LEA!_

Lea gasped as flashes of X's memory filled her mind. He was being beaten by what looked like a bunch of scientists, he was sitting out in the rain all by himself, he was crying, he was screaming.

Lea screamed.

"Wake up!"

Sakio was standing next to her beside her giant rose-colored bed. She sat up, and a horrible headache engulfed her.

"What... what happened?"

"It almost worked. You failed, Lea."

"I... failed? But... what was that? What did I see?"

Sakio grabbed Lea's shoulders and pushed her back down lightly onto the bed.

"Sleep now, and we'll try again tomorrow."

"Those things that I saw, X being beaten and left alone, did that really happen?"

Sakio shook his head and left the room without saying another word. Lea sat up again and stood.

_You nearly died, you know._

Lea jumped. "Who's there!"

_It's me, X. Listen, you have to get out of here. Sakio is trying to bring his wife back from the dead, right?_

"...Yes..." Lea said quietly, trying to silence the memories from her mind.

_In order to do that, two sacrifices must be made. A man and a woman. Both of similar ages, and the same DNA. _

"Sacrifices... so in order to get Damon back..."

_Sakio would have to kill us both._

Lea stared at the floor, contemplating. Finally, without looking back, she ran towards the door which held the X. Suddenly, a huge explosion made the entire compound shake. Lea cried out in pain as she felt her leg going numb with pain.

"X!" she gasped, falling to the ground, clutching her leg, which started bleeding badly. "No! X!" She reached for the door knob as the door flung open. Trowa towered above her, a gun pointed to her head. Another explosion. Lea screamed as she felt like her arm was being blown off. More blood began dripping off her hands and forming pools underneath her.

"Trowa?" She gasped. Trowa didn't move or speak. "Trowa, what are you doing? What are you doing to X!"

"We came to destroy it."

"But... but why?"

"You betrayed us and sided with the enemy, with Romefeller!"

"No! You don't understand! Sakio, he..."

_Lea... get out... get out of here!_

"X! No! Please, Trowa! Please stop hurting him!"

Trowa stared at her, his eyes widening somewhat. "Him?"

"Yes, there's a person inside that suit! If you destroy the robot, you'll be killing an innocent! He doesn't work for Romefeller, or for Sakio! He was put in there against his will!"

Trowa suddenly reached down and scooped up Lea in his arms. "Stop!" Trowa ran towards the giant robot, where Quatre, Heero, Duo, and Wufei were all planting explosives on the suit. "There's someone in there!"

"What?" Quatre yelled, and immediately disengaged one of the explosives.

"What's going on?" Wufei yelled, seeing Lea.

"Please... there's someone in that suit! We've got to get him out!"

"Not here... or now! We've got to get out of here soon, before the compound explodes!" Heero said, looking very worried. Lea eyes widened and she looked straight up at Trowa.

"Please, get me to the cockpit."

"But you can't!" Trowa said, protesting. Lea stared hard at him.

"Please Trowa..."

Trowa stared at her for a moment, and then ran up the metal stairs and let her down in front of the cockpit's hatch. It opened.

"X... are you alright?"

_Yes... and you?_

"Fine." she said hastily and jumped into the cockpit as the hatch closed. She closed her eyes as the entire machine activated. She could feel the wires, the warm liquid...

And then she could see a mental image in her mind.

_Walk._

She could feel her legs moving, slowly at first; then she broke out into a run.

"Heero, open up gate number 3!" She called out.

"Roger!" Heero said, and ran towards the gate with a huge white 3 painted on it. On the left side was a small control panel. He quickly input a few numbers and it began to open.

X ran straight through it, and into the open. All five pilots piled into a large jeep and sped off.

_Now fly!_ The robot kicked off the ground and flew into the air, it's main booster engines switched on and it was off, soaring through the sky. Lea glanced down at the world below her. She could just barely make out the jeep through the clouds.

_It's beautiful... _Lea thought happily.

_Yes... it's been so long since I've flown..._

Lea took a deep breath and enjoyed the feeling. She was engulfed in happiness as she ripped through the clouds.

_I'm finally... happy. After so long, I feel happy again._

And Lea smiled, despite what hope that she had lost along the way.

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Lalala! After writing that, I feel like dancing around and singing- I guess I kinda didn't get to describe the feeling of flight much... I've never even been in an airplane! But I guess, I just thought of the happiest feeling that I had that required some sort of fast movement, and I remembered how at one point in my life, I could run so fast, it was like I was one with the wind. So I tried to describe that, without over-doing it. Oh yeah, and one more thing. I'm sorry if this is getting to be really long, but I'm almost done ranting! Here's something that no one else has yet to have even thought of!

PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER:

After Lea returns to the hangar with the five gundam pilots, she learns a terrible secret. Where is her heart leading her now? Could she be willing to run away from it all, or will she confront the truth head-on?

Meanwhile, Heero reveals the truth about his connection with the robot X and the boy whose soul is trapped within. How was Heero involved with the death of Lea's brother, Damon?

AND ONE MORE THING!

Gomen, I promise this is the last thing I'm writing!

Here is what the ending for this chapter was, after I witnessed something that my brother had done which put me in a funny, giggly mood. I'm afraid my sad, angsty writing turned afoul in the worst kind of way... comedy!

"Fine." she said hastily and jumped into the cockpit as the hatch closed. She closed her eyes as the entire machine activated. She could feel the wires, the warm liquid...

And then she could see a mental image in her mind.

_Walk._

She could feel her legs moving, slowly at first; then she broke out into a run.

_Now fly!_

Suddenly X's main boosters switched on and the robot crashed through the roof.

"Now _that_ was totally unnecessary.." Wufei said, sounding annoyed.

"Come on, we have to follow her in the jeep!" Duo exclaimed suddenly, running towards the jeep.

"You parked the jeep_ inside_ the hangar?" Wufei said. Duo glared.

"Well, duh! It's a lot easier to get to this way!"

Wufei rolled his eyes.

And that's all I wrote! I immediately stopped and was like, "Oh my GOSH! Those lines were HORRIBLE!" So I deleted it and wrote something different! ; But it was so stupidly funny, I just had to include it somewhere in here...

Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! (Look for more weird stuff at the ends of chapters from now on, it's so much fun! .)

Mendel


	10. Peace Of Mind

X

Chapter 10:

Peace Of Mind

Lea looked out over the top of the hangar.

"What a sight for sore eyes..." she said and lowered her head onto her hands. In front of her was the same green grass, lightly blowing in the breeze, the trees hadn't changed at all. Birds were singing their lovely melodies and filled the air with such life and happiness that Lea, too, felt like singing. She closed her eyes and began to hum to herself.

Suddenly she stopped. In the sky, there were black clouds forming.

"A storm's coming..." she said quietly.

_Yes._

Lea closed her eyes once more and concentrated on the thunder.

"Five miles. It's about five miles away."

_You should go inside. It's moving very fast._

Lea nodded. "Okay." She turned and quickly stepped down the stairs. Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through her leg and she stumbled. She screamed as her footing was lost, but then, almost as soon as she had begun to fall, someone had caught her. She looked up into the face of Trowa.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking worried.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." Lea said

Heero stared up at the huge mecha in front of him.

_Lea is in pain..._

"I know, but there's nothing more I can do for her."

The robot's cold gaze now fell on the boy in front of him.

_How long?_

"What do you mean?"

_How long have you been able to understand me?_

Heero shrugged. "Since I was young, I guess."

_That's right, you were with Dr.J..._

Heero nodded. "Before he went against Romefeller."

_He was helping to develop this machine with Romefeller before he learned about Operation Meteor._

"I remember seeing you always watching the robot as it was being put together."

_I had no idea what it would be used for._

Heero lowered his eyes. "I know you didn't. They didn't tell me about it until it was too late. I'm sorry I was never able to do anything."

_You owe me nothing, so please, stop beating yourself up about it. What Sakio wanted you to do... Well..._

"What Dr. J trained me to do, you mean." Heero said with distaste in his voice.

_Lea told me you were having a nightmare, was it about Dr. J, giving you those orders?_

"Yes, he told me what it was I was supposed to do." Heero's face suddenly softened. A slight smile broke out on his lips. "I remember also, seeing you with Lea... you two were so happy and care-free..."

_You didn't carry out your very first mission. Killing Lea, that is. _

"I... I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill that little girl... she was so pure and happy..." Heero's smile suddenly faded and his eyes filled a little. "But I... I killed him. I killed her brother..."

_But once again, you were too young to realize what it was you were doing._

Heero balled his hand into a fist. He shook with anger and sorrow. "Why didn't I stop myself? Why couldn't I realize what I was doing?"

_They told you he was a potential terrorist, and he was. He had already seen the robot and the day after the race he was supposed to pilot it for the very first time. They told him a similar story... That he could bring his parents back if he did exactly as Sakio said. _

Heero sat on the ground and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"But I had no idea that Lea would be the one to pilot the robot... instead of Damon."

Suddenly the giant robot moved it's head, as if gazing at the ceiling of the hangar. Then, it began moving.

_Let us take this conversation outside. The air is much clearer out there..._

Heero nodded and moved over to the control panel beside the main hatch door leading outside. Slowly it opened and Heero walked out into the night, the giant robot slowly following him.

"Have you told Lea yet... that it was me?"

_If she knows that you were the one who killed her brother, then that would bring her even more sorrow. She doesn't need anymore reasons to wish death upon herself..._

Heero sat down in the cool grass. A light breeze picked up and ruffled his hair.

"I know but... she does have a right to know..."

The robot turned it's giant head downwards.

_Yes, but not now. And not anytime soon. She will eventually figure it out even before you tell her. You're face is already familiar to her, though she does not know from where._

Heero stared up at the vast sky as one by one, tiny stars began to appear. In the distance, thunder rumbled.

"Damon's heart was already corrupted by Sakio by the time I met him... it was pathetic to listen to his rambling about bringing his parents back so that he and Lea could be happy."

_Rambling? _

Heero shook his head. "Sakio tricked him, just like he tricked Lea."

_Did you watch him die?_

Heero froze. He had raced against Damon, and supposedly the newspapers reported that the accident was caused by a Mister Shibo, who mysteriously disappeared as soon as the crash happened. He closed his eyes and thought back on exactly what had happened...

"Heero, I mean, Shibo, it's almost time to _fix_ this race." Dr. J said. Heero was busy adjusting his racing suit.

"Roger." he mumbled, fretting with one strap which was silently protesting against his efforts.

"You better get a move on, before the race starts, or you'll miss your chance."

"I know..." Heero said, clasping the strap and grabbing his helmet. "I'm going now."

Dr. J nodded. Heero turned and walked towards where Damon's car was. Dr. J followed him. "You know exactly what it is you have to do?"

"Roger." Heero answered.

"And you're alright with all this?"

Heero stopped, his hand on the handle of the door leading to where Damon's race car was.

"With killing another human being, whose only intentions are to bring his parents back from the dead so that he and his sister can be truly happy together? With killing someone whom I've gotten to know so well, that I consider him a good friend? No, Dr. J, I am not, in any way, alright with any of this."

Heero's face hardened. "But it must be done, and that's all that matters."

"Then good luck." Dr. J said quietly. Heero nodded and opened up the door. Lea was casually leaning on Damon's car. Heero jumped.

"Lea! What are you doing here? The race is about to start."

Lea glared at him. He stiffened. _Does she know?_

Lea immediately turned and walked towards the door. Heero grew suddenly extremely tense. With shaking hands, he pulled a pair of wire cutters out of his back pocket. He hadn't even noticed that the door hadn't been opened or shut, which meant Lea was still in the room. He ducked down beside the car and gently placed the wire cutters on the brake cable.

_Damon... I'm sorry..._

And with that, Heero broke the wire.

A little while later, the crash had happened. Heero immediately stopped his car and pulled himself out of it. He stared at Damon's crippled car and ran towards it. There was Lea, with her arms wrapped around Damon's crushed and bleeding body.

"What... what have I done?" Heero whispered. Damon's eyes closed, and Lea's tears became visible on Damon's pale face. Heero turned and ran from the scene, tears welling up in his own eyes.

"What have I done!"

"Yes..." Heero said, standing up. "I did watch him die."

_I see..._

Heero stared up at the sky. "I felt as if... when I cut that brake cable, I was cutting his life in two."

_Such is what life is, a mere thread, which is as easy to snip as it is hard to pull apart. _

Suddenly, the breeze shifted and became fierce. Thunder banged and lightning flashed. Then, slowly at first and then strongly, the rain fell. Behind Heero, someone was yelling.

"X, Heero!" Lea cried out against the torrent. She was running towards the two, tired, but happy.

"Lea!" Heero said, surprised by the drenched girl who was now standing in front of him, her hands on her knees, panting. "You're going to get sick if you stay out here."

"And what about you?" Lea inquired, straightening herself.

_Are you sure you should be running, Lea?_

"I'm fine, really! Stop worrying." Lea said, smiling up at the giant robot standing over her.

"How is your leg feeling?" Heero asked, sitting down underneath the robot. Lea followed suit and sat down next to him.

"It feels alright. I'm a little tired, but other than that, I'm aces."

Heero smiled slightly. Lea sighed happily. "I guess we've all finally found peace of mind, right?" Heero watched Lea as she tilted her head upwards and stared at the stars.

_Yes. At this very moment, life is very peaceful. _

Lea nodded and lay down in the cool grass, Heero never took his eyes off of her. Then, almost as soon as she had lay down, Lea was asleep. Heero again smiled slightly.

_She's had it so rough from the start... poor girl..._

"Yeah... but she's strong. I know she can get through this in one piece."

The robot bent over and scooped the wet, sleeping girl into his large hands.

_It's pretty dreary out here._

Heero nodded and followed the robot back towards the hangar, all the while staring at the ground, thinking to himself. _Peace of mind... _Heero sighed. _When I find peace of mind..._

Flowers. All around Lea were bright yellow flowers... daisies. She scooped one flower up and breathed in it's fresh scent.

"Daisies... they're your favorite, right Damon?"

Damon smiled at her. He was leaning up against the large oak tree that the two were underneath. In front of Lea sat a large meadow, all of daisies.

"Yep. Nothing is quite as pure as a newly bloomed daisy..." Damon leaned over Lea and placed a small bud in her hair. "And daisies look best on pretty girls."

Lea smiled and blushed slightly.

"Lea?" Damon said, poking her arm rather painfully. "Wake up, Lea..."

"Yo, Lea! Wake up, darnit!" Duo said and yanked at Lea's arm. Lea blinked against the light that flooded the room during mid-day and sat up.

"What is it?"Lea said, yawning loudly. Duo scowled.

"We have to leave. Now."

"What!" Lea exclaimed and jumped out of her bed. "What's wrong, what's happened?"

"Whoa, calm down! Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so alarmed."

Lea raised an eyebrow. Duo shrugged and smiled. "Trowa has just decided that it'd be good to move, since Sakio already knows where we're stationed. So, get your things together, okay?"

Lea smiled and nodded. "Where's Heero?" she asked her generic question for at least the fourth time that day. Duo sighed loudly.

"I don't know, he's probably sleeping. You and him sure sleep a lot..." Duo mused to himself when Quatre walked in.

"Ah, good, you're finally awake. Could you do me a favor and go get Heero?" The blonde-haired boy asked, flipping through a pile of papers next to the many computer screens.

"Sure thing." Lea said and was gone in a flash. Quatre smiled to himself. _She and Heero are really quite alike..._

Lea quietly slipped through Heero's half-open bedroom door.

"...Heero?" she asked quietly. Low, quiet, slow breathing could be heard on the other side of the door. "Still asleep, are we?" she said a little louder and slammed the door open. Heero didn't even flinch in his deep slumber. Lea blinked several times in confusion. "Heero? Heero!"

Heero, as if in response, mumbled something and turned over.

"Heero?"

"...Lea... I'm sorry..."

Again, Lea blinked with a confused look on her face. "What? Heero, wake up already!"

"I... I killed him... I killed... Damon..."

Lea stopped dead. It felt to her as if Heero had pointed his gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

"Y-you're kidding right? H-heero?" Lea's vision blurred when a sudden thought struck her: Heero doesn't joke. He never jokes. Especially not about Lea's brother. But then again, whenever the subject of Damon was brought up by anyone, Heero would up and leave on the spot. Was what he was saying the truth?

Lea shivered and she grabbed onto Heero and shook him violently. "Heero! Heero, wake up, Heero!"

Heero's eyes slowly lifted open. "Huh?" Lea quickly jumped backwards and Heero sat up in bed. "Lea? What're you doing here? What's wrong?" He rubbed his eyes a little, and then slipped off his bed. "Were you... crying?"

Lea quickly turned so that Heero couldn't see her face. "No, I'm alright. This place is just pretty dusty, you know?" She ran out of the room.

"Lea, wait!" Heero called, but then sat back down on his bed. _Why does she keep running away from me like that?_ He shook his head and walked out the door.

Lea ran, and ran, all the way out of the compound and into the nearby forest, passing by the small pond and field without a second glance.

_Why? What does this all mean? Did Heero... did Heero kill my brother?_

Lea finally stopped running. She was in the heart of the forest now, and it looked like it was about to rain, but Lea didn't seem to notice. It was getting later, and a chill wind blew. Lea shivered and looked about her.

"Where... am I? What am I doing here?" she fell down onto her knees in her exhaustion.

"Oh, good, there you are Heero. Look, I've just informed the proper authorities about our departure and they'll be sending in a cargo plane..." Quatre began. Heero walked right past him, his eyes on the ground.

"Heero?" Quatre said meekly. Heero paused and turned towards his blonde-haired friend. "What's wrong, Heero?"

"Where's Lea? I need to speak with her..."

"I don't know... in fact, it's been hours since I saw her last."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Yeah, I sent her to fetch you, because I wanted you to know about the cargo plane and... Heero, wait!"

Heero bolted.

_Where could she have gone? _Heero thought angrily to himself. _I've got to find her..._

He ran throughout the compound, checked all the rooms, but Lea was nowhere to be found. Finally, Heero ran outside. It was once again pouring rain.

"LEA!" he yelled, but the sound of thunder and rain was deafening. "LEA!"

But no answer came. It was as quiet as death. Heero shivered and said quietly, "Lea, where are you?"

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: YAY! TENTH CHAPTER! WOOHOO! I've never before, in my ENTIRE LIFE written TEN CHAPTERS! So, for staying with me for so long on this story, here's something a little more light-hearted! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

TENTH CHAPTER ANNIVERSARY PARTY!

Duo: Yay! Ten chapters! Woohoo!

Mendel: It's the most I've ever written!

Lea: I am so depressed... -

Mendel: Aww, cheer up!

Lea: But you MADE me depressed...

Mendel: Oo Oh... right... So Heero! Having a good time:)

Heero: I killed him... I killed him... ;;

X: passed out

Duo: Man, this party stinks...

Wufei: Yah, you just HAD to accidentally drop the cake into the toilet, didn't you?

Duo: ;; And it took two hours to make, too!

Wufei- Idiot...

Mendel: Hey... where's Trowa-chan?

Trowa: OMG! Lea is like, totally CRYING! I MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Mendel: No... Trowa, it's best if you just leave her alone... really man, she'll bite your head off...

Trowa: walks up to Lea LEA! I WILL COMFORT YOU NOW! puts his arms around Lea

Lea: o GET AWAY FROM ME! punches him starts crying ;;

Trowa: She hates me! ;;

Duo: Two hours, TWO WHOLE HOURS! Gone, WASTED! ;;

Heero: I can't believe I actually did that... how evil am I? ;;

X: still passed out

Wufei: pulls out some pocky I like this story!

Mendel: Me too! Sadness and angst for all! takes a stick of pocky and starts nibbling on it Yuuumm... this is the best party ever!

Wufei: Tell me about it! Duo's got my sword, I think he's gonna kill himself...

Mendel: No, wait, now Heero's got the sword... Oh darn, now Lea's got the sword!

Wufei: No, Trowa's got it now!

I'll end this disturbing party now... ; But it was fun...


	11. Lost

X

Chapter 11:

Lost

_Lea? Lea, get up!_ _You've got to get up!_

"No, X. I don't know where I am, I don't know who I am anymore. Why am I here? I'm lost, and I give up. I totally give up."

_But you can't! You can't just give up!_

The deluge of rain completely drenched Lea, from head to toe. She was shaking, shivering, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get up again.

"You don't understand... no one does! This pain that I feel, it's what others have done to me... Because I'm too weak to do anything for myself..."

_I do understand..._

"No, you don't! So stop saying that, okay!"

_No, Lea, now you listen to me! I am trapped in this suit... I probably will be forever. But you... you are not. You're body is free, yet you continually live as if you were in a suit also! If you dwell on the past, does that make it go away? If you kill a person, will that bring back another person? Answer me!_

Lea's eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down her face. "...No..."

_That's right, so stop living in the past and concentrate on what happening right now. _

"But... Heero he... he killed my brother!"

X, far back in the hangar, fell silent.

"Heero was asleep... he was having a nightmare, and when I tried to wake him up... he started talking. He said... he said he was sorry, that he had killed Damon..."

The rain slowed down, and then stopped. It was already nighttime.

"LEA! LEA!"

Lea closed her eyes. She felt her body fading away, as if she was never even there. The bushes rustled loudly and the dead leaves cracked and Heero appeared.

"Lea!" he dropped down by her side and stared at her face. Lea was already asleep. Heero lightly brushed a lock of her hair away from her face and lifted her up off the cold, hard ground. "Lea..." he whispered as he took her back to the hangar. "I'm sorry..."

The cargo plane arrived the next day on time, and completely filled with all the supplies the pilots would need. Lea stared up at the behemoth of an aircraft and thought back to exactly what had happened the other night, after Heero had brought Lea back to the hangar.

Heero sat on Lea's bed, his hands clasped. Every now and again he would glance at her, making sure she was alright.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. Lea turned her head and faced her half-open window.

"I felt... lost."

"No, tell me what really happened." Heero's gaze was firm, but also very worried. Lea closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You were having a nightmare, and I tried to wake you up, and you said..." Lea paused and opened up her eyes. "You said... that you had killed Damon."

The room fell quiet, and Heero took his eyes off of Lea, and instead rested his gaze on his clasped hands.

"...Heero... did you? Did you kill him?"

"I did."

"I see..." she said quietly. Heero instantly stood up, But Lea grabbed his arm. "No... please stay. I have a right to know... everything."

Heero looked surprised, but he sat back down. Lea coughed slightly. It would appear that she had caught a cold from being soaked. Heero sighed and told Lea the whole story.

"Lea?" Quatre asked hesitantly. Lea turned her head.

"Yes?"

"Oh, I was just wondering... if you were all right. You've been really quiet really..."

"Hn." she said and turned her gaze once again to the plane. X was just starting to be loaded.

"Hey, kiddo! What say you, me, Quatre, Trowa, Heero and the Wu-man go into town for a while? You know, while all our stuff is being loaded..."

"But... Sakio..."

"Oh, you worry to much! We've already scoped out the area, and it's looks safe, and fun! They've got an ice cream parlor and a small amusement park! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Lea sighed loudly. "Not really, no."

Duo's entire face fell. "Aww, come on! Heero already said it was okay..."

"I'll be staying here, of course. And so will Heero." Wufei said and starlted Duo. "And don't call me that."

"Okay, so it's just the four of us." Duo said happily and grabbed Lea's arm and led her into the jeep. "You'll feel better afterwards, I promise!"

And with that, Trowa and Quatre piled in and they sped off in the direction of the town.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let them go into town like that?" Wufei said, pulling out a clipboard and checking off some items.

"Yeah..." Heero said quietly.

Lea stared out at all the passerby's. They were walking, talking, seemingly without a care in the world. It was a little past lunchtime when they had reached the town, which appeared to be more of a city to Lea. Duo was absolutely glowing at the tall buildings and busy people. Shops were bustling, birds were flying overhead. The jeep stopped and turned into a parking lot. Duo paid the man and the four were off. Lea looked left, right, up and down, taking it all in.

"Well?" Duo asked, and took a deep breath. "What do you think?"

Lea was quiet for a while, but then she smiled slightly and said, "It's really kinda nice."

"Wow! That's the most I've heard you say in at least 24 hours..." Duo said. "Oh! Look! Hot dogs! Anyone hungry?"

"I am." Quatre said, smiling. Why shouldn't he be? He knew he'd end up paying anyway. Duo beamed and held out his hand for some money. Quatre obliged, and Duo ran off towards the hot dog stand.

"You really shouldn't give away your money to him like that, Quat. He needs to learn to be responsible."

"I know, but..." Quatre smiled as Duo was absolutely bouncing when he ordered the hot dogs.

"Here we go! I know you don't like ketchup, Lea, so I made sure the guy didn't put any on it." Duo said, smiling broadly as he handed Lea her hot dog.

"Thanks." she said quietly and nibbled on her lunch.

After they had all eaten, and Lea fed most of her lunch to the pigeons, they had started up again.

"Wow, they have a really nice museum up ahead..." Quatre said, and Trowa peered at his map.

"Booooriiiing!" Duo said loudly. "Come on, golden boy, can't you think of something more fun to do? I'm thinking, ice cream!"

And with that, Duo sped off, with the other three in tow, and before Lea even knew what was happening, Trowa had pushed her into a small, quaint ice cream parlor.

Duo was already ordering. "And I'll take one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry, one scoop of vanilla in the biggest cone you've got! Lea? What do you want?"

"Oh! Uhm..." Lea looked in front of her at all the ice cream types. "I'll have mint chocolate chip."

The cashier rung up the prices and again, Quatre paid for it all. The four walked outside and into the nearby park.

"Now, don't drop you're ice cream, Lea!" Duo said happily.

SPLAT!

Duo stopped cold and stared at the ground. His very top layer of ice cream, which was vanilla, was all over the ground.

"My... my ice cream! NO!"

Lea stared at Duo as he mourned the loss of his beloved ice cream, and she smiled, and then giggled, and the began to laugh.

Trowa, Quatre, and even Duo stared at her in amazement.

"Oh, that's very nice! We should give my vanilla a proper funeral..."

Lea laughed even harder, and then, slowly but surely, the other three began to laugh also. For the moment, Lea lost what it was that had made her heart feel so heavy.

"Come on, Duo! Cheer up! I'm sure Quatre will buy you some more ice cream." Lea said, barely stifling more laughter.

"Nah, Quatre already such a huge spender, I couldn't."

"Excuse me?" Quatre said, raising an eyebrow. Lea and Trowa burst out laughing again.

"I guess this means we won't be going to the amusement park?" Trowa said, sounding slightly hopeful.

"No way! I've never been to an amusement park!" Lea said, jumping up.

"Then to the amusement park!" Duo yelled and the four were off.

"Well, that's the last of it." Wufei said and checked off the last crate of supplies on his clipboard. Heero was already in the cockpit, fast asleep. Wufei sighed loudly. Heero jerked awake.

"Huh? What?" Heero said, looking around.

"We're done, so are you gonna go get the others?" Wufei asked.

"No, maybe you should."

"Alright, alright. I'm off then." And with that, Wufei left on one of the other two jeeps.

Heero sighed loudly and shut his eyes again. A figure moved soundlessly behind him, but Heero was half-asleep when the man hit him in the neck, knocking Heero out.

"I've got one of them, 01, I think." the man yelled loudly. About four or five more men appeared from the shadows and surrounded the unconcious Heero.

"Inform Ms. Kaori immediately." A tall man with hair and eyes the color of snow said, throwing the boy over his shoulder. Most of his white hair covered his face.

"Roger, Commander." another man said and turned on his heel and gasped.

"Inform me of what?" a woman with deep red hair and green eyes said, and then saw Heero slung over the shoulder of the Commander. "Ah, I see. Well done, Mr. Sumare."

Sumare nodded. "But Lea and the other four gundam pilots haven't yet been located."

"I'm surprised at you, Sumare. Not even able to find a little girl..."

"My apologies."

Kaori brushed off the apology as if it were nothing. "I'll inform Mr. Sakio. Meanwhile, you be sure to take care of yourself while you're around that boy, brother."

Again, Sumare nodded and walked out of the ship, Kaori in tow. Suddenly, his sister's interest went from the pilot to the giant robot being transported into a large truck.

"It looks... so similar... to Z, I mean." Kaori said quietly.

"Yes, but that one is the color of tainted sea water, not like the vibrant red that Z is painted."

Kaori nodded. "Where is Z, anyway?"

"She should still be with Sakio."

"I really wish you wouldn't call it 'she' as if it were human or something... it's really very sickening. Don't get too attached to that piece of scrap, okay?"

"Kaori, that piece of scrap is the only thing that will bring our parents back."

Kaori paused for a moment, but Sumare didn't notice. Another man, clad in heavy black, ran up to Sumare.

"Sumare, have you heard from Yuna at all?"

"No, I haven't. Is she not talking to you again, Kyo?"

Kyo glared, his dark hair and eyes completely contrasted that of Sumare's. "She's a stubborn little brat who never listens..."

_EXCUSE ME! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEVER LISTENS!_

Sumare and Kyo both nearly fell over at the force of Yuna's screech.

"Y! DON'T DO THAT!"

_Don't call me Y! Me name is Yuna!_

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, Sumare, you've got to help me, Yuna's such a brat and..."

_I AM NOT A BRAT! You're a jerk, Kyo!_

Kyo sighed heavily. "Why me? Why me?"

Sumare chuckled to himself and Kaori glared at the two of them.

"There you two go again! Talking like they're human or something! You, Kyo, even gave yours a name!"

"It's not my fault! If I call her 'Y', she freaks out!"

"Maybe you should listen to her more often, Kyo..."

Kyo growled and hopped into a nearby jeep. "Yeah, whatever. How long are we supposed to be here, again?"

"We came to retrieve the last pilot, Lea. But it would seem she's not here right now..."

"Then what's that?" Kyo said, pointing to the X, which was almost completely loaded onto the cargo truck.

"X, Lea's robot. It would seem that he's not making a fuss or anything at the moment..."

"Yes, he's being very quiet right now..."

"I give up on you guys!" Kaori fumed and jumped into an empty jeep and sped away. Sumare joined Kyo in the jeep.

"Maybe we should stay behind so we can meet Lea in person." Sumare said, a hint of a smile on his lips. Kyo immediately shook his head.

"I can't control Y... Yuna... she's having a hissy fit right now so, now's not the best time. You go ahead, and I'll inform Sakio about it. He shouldn't have any problem with it..."

"Right. Later, then." Sumare said and jumped back out of the jeep as it sped off. "Then it'll just be you and me, Lea."

_And me, sir!_

"Of course, Z. I would never leave you out of a potential battle..."

_Isn't this fun, X? _Lea thought happily.

The four were at the amusement park, and had just gotten off the 13th ride that day. Duo was already planning on the 14th when Wufei appeared.

"Hey Wufei!" Quatre said and waved to the Chinese pilot. Wufei walked over.

"It's about time we left, all the packing's been done."

"Aww, but Wu-man!" Duo said and made puppy-dog eyes.

"No buts, Maxwell, and don't call me that."

_I'm coming back now, okay X?_

X didn't answer.

"X...?" Lea breathed. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Trowa said, watching Lea.

"X isn't answering me. Could... could something have happened to him?"

Everyone suddenly fell deathly quiet.

"We should go. Now." Trowa said finally, grabbing Lea's arm and leading her back to the jeep. The others followed and they all piled in.

_X... what could have happened? _Lea thought to herself. _What else could go wrong? _

Little did Lea know how much worse her situation was going to become...

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Yay! I hope you all liked this chapter, it was really a lot of work and... wouldn't you believe it, I'm getting sick, just like Lea! (Life is just not fair... I really hate being sick... but at least I can really describe how Lea feels right now...) I really should be working on my homework right now, but heck, I think this is a bit more important than that right now. :)

PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

Duel! Lea vs. Sumare, pilot of the robot, Z! Are these new robots just like X? Will Lea be able to fend off Sumare in her present condition? Find out in my next chapter!

I'd just like to thank everyone for reviewing my story... I've never written so much, or gotten so many reviews before-tears of joy- I am soooo happy! This next little segment is just for you guys! Thank you! Mendel K.

FUN TIME #1: A Day At The Onsen

Mendel: Hoorah! Time to spend some quality time with my characters! Yay! (Of course, I have something evil planned for all of them...)

Heero-napping in the hot water-

Mendel-pulls out a cat and drops it on Heero- HAHA! Look at him go!

Heero-bleep- CAT! GET THE -bleeping- OFF ME!

Mendel: Oh Heero, so vulgar... ;-;

-MEANWHILE-

Wufei-bleep- it, Maxwell! Die already! DIE!

Mendel: Stop trying to drown Duo, Wufei!

Wufei-grumbles- He splashed me!

Duo-surfaces- Oh, you mean, like THIS?

-SPLASH-

Wufei: DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!

Mendel: (I'm gonna leave before I get involved...)

-MEANWHILE (again)-

X: _Lea, I am not sure..._

Lea: Come on in! Don't be shy!

Mendel: Uh, Lea? I don't think that's gonna work...

-X sticks his large robotic foot into the hot spring and sends a gigantic tidal wave over everything-

Mendel-drenched-sighs- Thus is the fate of my characters... Next time I'll do something with Kyo and Sumare...

All: NO!

FUN TIME #1: A Day At The Onsen - END


	12. Duel

**X**

**Chapter 12:**

**Duel**

"Oh... no..." Lea breathed. All the other gundam pilots were dumb-struck.

"What... happened?" Trowa asked, but nobody could answer him. X was gone, taken away. Heero was missing, and all their supplies were nowhere to be found. "Did Sakio...?"

Lea nodded soundlessly and coughed. "It must have been... but then where's Heero?"

Wufei shook his head. "When I left him, he was really out of it..."

The five moved around soundlessly, unaware of what to do. Lea's coughing steadily became worse. Trowa pushed her down onto a nearby empty crate.

"Relax for a minute, okay? We'll continue looking."

Lea nodded. What else could she do? _I'm useless... _she thought angrily to herself. Trowa moved around some more, but it was obvious he wasn't really looking. It looked hopeless. Lea sighed loudly and coughed.

Trowa walked around to the other side of the plane, and out of sight. Lea coughed.

"That's a pretty bad cough you've got there." An unknown voice said from behind Lea and, before she knew it, a man with white hair and eyes stood before her.

"Who are you...?" Lea asked weakly and coughed again.

"You don't seem well. That's a shame, I really wanted to fight you."

"Fight me?" Lea exclaimed. "What?"

The man moved closer, and his face was inches from hers. "You really aren't bright. Hm, Sakio was right then."

"Sakio?" Lea yelled. Instantly the gundam pilots ran to see what was happening.

"Who are you?" Lea asked again and the man drew his gun and pointed it at her head.

"My name is Sumare. I am honored to finally meet you." With that he dropped his gun and bowed. Nobody moved. "You may attack me if you wish, but all I ask is that Lea fight me."

"How? I can't fight..." Lea said, and slid off the crate. Sumare was at least a full head higher than she was.

"Ah, you may be stupid, but you are humble. But you know what they say, stupidity humbles the weak."

Lea lifted an eyebrow. "I am not stupid. Nor am I humble. I can't fight, I swear I can't."

"Sure you can! I brought your suit just for this! KAORI! BRING IT OUT!"

And with that, a large cargo truck pulled up and swiftly began unloading the X. Lea gasped.

"X!"

_Lea? Thank God you're all right! _X answered.

_I was so worried about you! Why weren't you speaking to me?_

"Because he was afraid we'd be able to track it and find you. A lot of good that did him..." Sumare said and sat down on the crate Lea was just on.

"How can you...?"

"Because I'm a pilot to another suit, just like your X. Mine is called Z, and is the final model, and therefore the most advanced."

Lea's mouth fell open. "Final... model?"

"That's right, I have her parked back there." Sumare pointed towards the forest surrounding the large hangar. "Z! Would you mind coming out now?"

_Not at all, sir!_

And with that, a large crimson-painted mobile suit appeared out of the trees. It was slightly larger than X, and it looked more stream-lined.

"Lea, X, meet Z. She's my robot." the robot did a mock-curtsey.

_I've heard so much about you, Miss Lea. It will be an honor to fight against you and X._

"W-what? I already said!"

"Come on, come on, Lea! Don't be shy!" Sumare said and pushed Lea in the direction of X. "Get in and we'll fight."

"And what if I win?" Lea asked.

"Then we'll leave you alone."

"And if I lose?"

"Then we'll also leave you alone."

"And what about Heero?"

"Oh, he's in the truck, unconcious, but okay. You can have him back after the match."

Lea looked from the truck, to X, to Sumare, to the worried faces of the remaining four gundam pilots. "Fine, I'll fight."

"Then it's a duel!" Sumare said and slowly walked towards Z. Lea took a deep breath and motioned for X's hand to be let down. X didn't protest.

"Lea, no! You can't!" Trowa yelled suddenly. "You're not well!"

"I'm well enough, now please stay back, I don't want you all getting hurt."

The gundam pilots watched helplessly as Lea and Sumare both disappeared within their own cockpits.

The mobile suits slowly began moving, and then they were moving like real human beings.

Sumare's suit pulled out a large staff which was hung on it's back.

Lea's suit instinctively pulled out two small sword-like weapons from it's legs.

_Ready, Lea?_

_I'm ready whenever you are, Sumare!_

With that, Z ran straight for X at an incredible speed, brandishing it's staff. X stepped to the side and dragged one of it's sword's across Z's shoulder. Z countered by flying backwards to avoid being hurt further. Sumare gasped and clutched his shoulder, but he didn't back down. X came at Z again, but instead of meeting Z head-on, X stopped abruptly and threw one sword at her. Z thrust her staff at the flying weapon, and it split in two separate swords, one of which was still going at her. Z dodged it barely and twirled the staff above her head and threw it at X. It plunged into's the robot's side. Lea screamed and collapsed.

_Victory is mine, Lea. I guess that means you'll be coming with me. _Sumare said and pulled his staff out of Lea's side.

"Lea? Lea, wake up!"

Lea was being shook lightly. She slowly opened her eyes and found she was lying down on something... a chair of some sort. No, it was a car seat. Her side burned painfully.

"Good, you're all right. I was worried Sumare had really done you in." another unfamiliar voice said. Lea turned her head to see a boy, not much older than she was, but definitely younger than the gundam pilots, sitting opposite her. He had dark black hair and eyes. Next to him sat a very disgruntled but worried Heero, who was currently gagged and tied up.

Lea tried to sit up, but gasped as pain shot through her entire body.

"Whoa, don't try to overdo it there, girlie! If you end up dying, well, then we won't be able to get everyone back."

"Everyone... back?" Lea breathed but laid back down. The three were in the back of a small covered truck, with Sumare at the wheel.

"Sure, you know the legend, right? Sakio told you."

Lea turned her head and glared at the boy. "Yes, I know it."

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name's Kyo."

Lea just stared at the boy. Kyo rubbed his hands together nervously and then said loudly, "So, Sumare! When are we gonna get there? I'm sure Lea's getting hungry!"

"I'm not." Lea said and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain.

"Unless you were watching, Kyo, then you would know Lea needs to get medical attention immediately." Sumare said sounding annoyed.

"Huh? Why?" Kyo asked.

"I impaled her on my staff."

"And she's still alive! Wow, you really are something, Lea!"

Lea glared at the boy once again. "Where are the others? You know, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei."

"The four other gundam pilots? We left them there." Sumare answered just when Kyo had opened his mouth to speak.

"So how did you manage to get away?" Lea asked.

"We managed to because we have mobile suits and they don't. They didn't have anything, no explosives, no guns that were worth anything, and most of all, they didn't have this guy." Kyo pointed to Heero and cracked a smile. Lea blinked. Heero glared daggers at the boy, but didn't even seem to be trying to escape. That wasn't like Heero at all.

_Heero, why aren't you trying to escape? Why won't you just get away? I know you can..._

Lea suddenly erupted in a fit of coughs.

"We're here." Sumare said as the truck pulled up to Sakio's compound.

Lea was lifted out and gently placed in a make-shift stretcher and carried off towards her old room. Heero was led a different way. Kyo walked with Sumare down another corridor.

Suddenly, Lea felt entirely alone. _It's alright, Heero's here... and so is X. But where could they be holding him?_

Lea closed her eyes as the men who carried her into her room now left her alone. A few doctors piled in and began setting up a number of electronics, most of which Lea couldn't recognize. Before she could think of a way out, though, she felt a needle hit her skin, and everything went black.

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"I don't have time to be worrying about it."

"Come on, I know you're worried about her..."

"Nonsense, why would I be?"

"Because she's the only thing that's gonna bring your parents back."

"Not the only thing. You and I, and Z and Yuna are needed also."

Kyo stopped. "Oh, that's right. You need me and Yuna also..." he stared at the floor and looked to be in deep thought. Sumare had walked slightly ahead of him, but now he turned around.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking... you know, this is a great power that we have now and..."

Sumare smiled and laid his hands on Kyo's shoulders. "Don't worry, everything will turn out fine."

The two were casually walking on a large cat-walk, alongside the robot Z, Y, and X, all of which were lined up.

_Yes, Sumare is right. You should not worry, Kyo._

"I'm not worrying, Z, it's just..."

_Z, Kyo just doesn't think he can do it._

"Yuna!" Kyo yelled suddenly. Sumare chuckled.

"I have faith in every single one of you, even Lea."

_TO BE CONTINUED_

AN: Whew! This chapter was so hard to write! I hope you all like it, even though I stink at writing fight scenes... ; And once again, please review!

PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

Interlude: Lea is slowly recovering when she finally meets up with Sumare's sister, Kaori. Meanwhile, Heero is being 'detained'.


	13. Interlude

**X**

**Chapter 13:**

**Interlude**

He was running, running.

Running from what?

_What am I running from?_

Voices.

Voices were calling him.

"Sumare... Sumare... Save us... help us... save us..."

"No! Stay away from me!"

"But... we're your own parents! Save us, help us!"

"No!"

Sumare tripped suddenly and fell. His light blonde hair covered his face, so he couldn't see. Something latched onto his leg.

"Save us! Save us!"

Sumare screamed as shadowy black hands overtook him.

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

Sumare shot up straight in bed. Sweat dripped from his brow and fell onto his clutched hands, which were bleeding.

Sumare took a deep breath and stared at his hands. His fingernails had apparently been dug so deep into his palms, that they broke his skin, but the cuts weren't deep. Sumare got up from his bed and pulled out some bandages and began to wrap his hands.

_Sir, are you all right?_

Sumare didn't answer Z. Kyo was busy polishing the left arm of Y, but stopped abruptly when he saw Sumare coming down the cat-walk.

"Hey, Sumare! You're up late..."

Sumare didn't even acknowledge Kyo. He simply walked right past him, his hands deep inside his pockets. Kyo turned hastily and cut in front of Sumare.

"Good morning, hello, how are ya? Come on, say something..."

Sumare paused and sighed. "Sorry, I'm just a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"With what?" Kyo asked and suddenly grabbed Sumare's arm and pulled it out into view. Sumare lowered his head. Kyo stared for a moment at the bloody bandages before he let go.

"You really have to stop doing that."

"I know. But I just can't get that dream out of my head."

Kyo nodded. "You're sister's not gonna be worried?"

Sumare brushed past him. "My sister couldn't care less."

Lea stared blankly up at the ceiling.

_If I can somehow get my hands on some C4... where would I get something like that? Maybe Sakio has some explosives... I know he has plenty of other weapons... He probably won't let me near X... or maybe I can act like I trust him and then steal the X and plant some explosives all over the compound and set them off... I wonder what time it is?_

Lea sighed and closed her eyes. "I should just go back to sleep..."

Just as she thought that, someone knocked on the door and came in. Lea couldn't see who it was because she was laying down, but the voice was somewhat familiar.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Sumare asked and sat down in the chair beside her bed.

Lea didn't answer.

"You're not talking to me, then? Alright, alright. I can play along." With that, Sumare closed his mouth tightly and watched Lea. His white eyes seemed to pierce her to the depths of her soul, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.

Finally, Lea could take it to longer. "What do you want?"

Sumare smiled slightly. "Just to see how you were doing."

"That's not true, I can tell when somebody's lying to me."

Sumare shrugged. "You caught me."

Lea watched Sumare as he dug around in his pocket and drew out a small, crinkled up photo and handed it to Lea. She stared at it for a moment. In the photo was a small girl, maybe about 7 or 8 years old, a young couple, and a boy with light blonde hair and white eyes, who looked to be about 13.

"Who is this?" Lea asked.

"Well, that little boy is me, that's my sister Kaori, you haven't met her yet, and those are my parents, who died about 6 years ago, right after this picture was taken."

Lea looked from the smiling boy in the photo to the man standing in front of her, and then back again. "But, your hair's white."

"Yeah, but it used to be blonde. You see, there was an accident where a terrorist blew up our apartment complex... that's how my parents died. But my sister and I escaped, and so now..." Sumare fingered a strand of his white hair. "My hair is like this."

Lea handed the photo back to him. "I see."

"But I'm going to bring them back, my parents I mean."

Lea coughed. "What? But, don't you know?"

Sumare blinked. "Know what?"

"The only way to bring back someone from the dead using those suits is by sacrificing your own life!"

Sumare nodded. "Yes, I knew that."

"So then why?"

"Why what?"

"Are you really going to kill yourself? To bring back your parents?"

"Yes."

Lea stared at Sumare for a minute, her mouth hanging open. _He doesn't understand..._

"Here, take this." Sumare said suddenly and handed Lea an unmarked small container of milky white pills. "Take one every hour, on the hour. In about a day, you should be on your feet again. Oh and, don't worry. They're not going to kill you or anything like that, we need you alive anyway."

"Why should you need me? You've got your two sacrifices."

"Lea, Lea. You really don't know, do you? When you get better, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Until then, my sister, Kaori will be taking care of you. Later." And with that, Sumare opened up the door and left, and a minute later a young girl, maybe about 15 years old, walked in. Her deep red hair and green eyes looked very different from Sumare's, but Lea guessed it was his sister.

"So now I get stuck taking care of this? Sumare, you should be doing this sort of thing, not me!"

"Sorry, Commander, but it's Sakio's orders." Sumare could be heard yelling from just down the hall. Kaori silently fumed.

"That lousy... why does Sakio always have me doing the hard work? I tell ya, it's really starting to-"

"So you're Kaori?" Lea quickly cut the girl off, not wanting to hear more ranting, especially about Sumare.

"That's Commander Kaori to you, miss..."

"Lea."

"Miss Lea. Right. So, you pilot one of those monstrous things as well?"

"Huh?"

Kaori sighed. "You really _are_ slow, Sakio wasn't just kidding."

Lea glared daggers. "Well excuse me for not being able to move 2 inches without feeling like my entire body's on fire."

"Oh, please! You've got it easy. Sakio's not pestering you with taking care of brats, and you haven't got a horrid brother breathing down your neck all the time, not to mention Kyo, who's just plain annoying!"

"Easy! I've just been torn away from the only family I have left, stabbed with a 200-foot metal pole, and now I have to listen to your whining?"

"You're the one who's whining!"

"YOU STARTED IT, YOU BRAT!"

"YOU'RE THE BRAT HERE!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"MAKE ME!"

Lea suddenly broke out laughing. Kaori stared, and then smiled and began to laugh as well.

"Ow! Oh, it hurts to laugh..." Lea said and cringed, a smile still on her face.

"Have you taken those pills yet?" Kaori said, eyeing the container of pills in Lea's hand. She shook her head. "Well, it's almost 5 o'clock, I've got a watch so I'll tell you when to swallow one." Lea nodded. "I'm sorry, I've just been so stressed out lately..." Kaori said suddenly. Lea at first didn't understand what she was talking about, but then she smiled.

"Me too."

"So I see."

The two giggled together.

"You know, it's been such a long time since I've seen another girl, I was beginning to think they were all but extinct."

Kaori broke out laughing again. "You were cooped up with those five gundam pilots, right?"

"Cooped up? No, not exactly. They're really nice guys, but you know how seeing the same people everyday can get kind of dizzying..."

"I know the feeling. It's 5 o'clock now."

Lea hastily popped a small pill into her mouth and swallowed it whole. Almost instantly she felt better. "Speaking of which, where is Heero?"

"Heero? Oh, you mean 01? He's being detained right now..."

"What?" Lea knew what 'detaining' really meant. "You've got to tell me where he is!"

Kaori jumped. "Whoa, calm down. Wow, those pills really work... Sakio said you'd try to find him, but I can't tell you where he is right now."

Lea closed her eyes. _Oh Heero, where are you? What are they doing to you?_

Heero was laying on the hard concrete floor, his hands and feet tied, a gag prevented him from speaking.

The door to his cell opened and Sumare slowly walked in, a strange gun in his hand.

"Hello, 01. Or should I say, Shibo?"

Heero glared.

"Do you know what I have here? It's a certain type of injection that Sakio created. You see, it makes it possible to remove any memory that we wish to." Sumare aimed the gun right at Heero's right shoulder. "I'm not sure exactly how it's supposed to work, but hey, that's your problem, right?"

Sumare stared at the gundam pilot, who wasn't showing even an ounce of fear. Suddenly, Sumare drew back and stuffed the gun in his holster. "Of course, we can't use it yet. I just wanted you to know that. You'll be a fine hostage for now, since Lea will be dead soon."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Since it's Sunday, I figured I'd go ahead and post this today (I posted last chapter yesterday...) Mostly because the school week will be starting up again and I'll probably be really busy and won't be able to write the next chapter anytime soon... so here you go! And please review!

PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER:

The Will Of Those Who Believe: Sumare confronts Lea about her past and tries to convince her to join Sakio and bring her brother back, but will Lea continue to stand her ground, or will she collapse under the weight of guilt? Meanwhile, the other four gundam pilots are plotting to enter Sakio's compound and save Lea, but will what they find be something completely unexpected?


	14. The Will Of Those Who Believe

X

Chapter 14:

The Will Of Those Who Believe

"And then my dog ate the entire birthday cake!"

"Oh, poor you!"

"Yeah, I couldn't stop crying. My mom and dad had to buy another cake for me the next day, and then you know what happened?"

"What?"

"There were ANTS in MY CAKE!" Kaori exclaimed loudly, throwing her hands up into the air.

Lea roared with laughter. "That's terrible, but so funny! And that was your 7th birthday?"

"Yeah. Ever since then, I believed that the number seven was unlucky, at least for me."

Lea was sitting in a random armchair in her room with Kaori sitting opposite her. It was just morning, and Lea had been at Sakio's complex for about 3 days, although she was actually enjoying herself with company like Kaori. Even Kyo had dropped in the other day and brought Lea some flowers and chatted for a little while. Lea didn't understand why Kaori would always call Kyo "heathen" when to Lea he seemed extremely civilized and even entertaining.

"Hey, you stopped coughing." Kaori said suddenly. Lea paused for a moment and then sighed.

"Yes, I guess I have."

Sumare checked his hands. They had small scars but, other than that, they were completely healed over.

_Those pills that Sakio's got really are amazing..._

Sumare clenched his hands and leaned up against the doorframe to Lea's room. His head swam.

_Sakio, you wretched excuse for a human... How could you build something so terrible? Is your love for that woman so great that you'd kill to get her back?_

"So Kaori, what's up with you and your brother? Do you two not get along?" came Lea's voice from the other side of the door. Sumare jumped and his head throbbed painfully.

_She's up now? What time is it? _Sumare thought and quickly checked his watch. It read 10:45. _I must've completely lost track of time back there... blasted pills and their side effects... I wonder why Lea doesn't get affected like I do?_

"Lea, I feel like I can tell you anything, so here goes, but it's a really long and sad story, okay?"

Lea nodded.

Sumare drew in his breath sharply, waiting.

Kaori began. "Well, when I was about 8 years old, there were a couple of terrorists and they set off a bomb at our apartment building. I was at a friend's house at that time so I don't know exactly what happened, but Sumare was there when the whole place collapsed and went up in flames. You see, the reason the terrorists were supposedly there for was-"

Sumare swung the door wide open. Both Kaori and Lea jumped.

"Lea, you're well enough to be on your feet, so get up already." Sumare said angrily, glaring at his sister, who in turn glared right back with equal force. Lea swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"I guess I should be getting back to my work now, Lea. Later." Kaori said and left the room abruptly. Only Lea and Sumare remained alone in the quiet room.

Finally, after a long silence, Sumare spoke. "Don't bring up the subject. Not ever again."

"Subject of what?" Lea asked, and began to make her untidy bed.

"Don't be stupid! The subject of... the terrorists at the apartment building. Just forget about it."

Lea paused for a moment and stared at Sumare. He looked angry, but also sad. Lea nodded.

"Sorry."

"Don't say that! What kind of answer is that anyway? How stupid can you get? Huh? Why are you smiling like that?"

Lea simply shook her head. "It's just that... you and Kaori are so alike, it's kinda funny."

Sumare's eyes widened. It had been years since anyone had said that he and Kaori were similar...

In a second, he was at the door, then in the hallway, and then back in his room. Out of breath from the sudden run, Sumare slumped down onto the floor.

Lea stared at the open door. _He can tell me when he's ready..._

"This is the first step."

"Do you think that she's alright?"

Trowa raised his eyebrows at the blonde-haired boy next to him. _Does that mean Quatre trusts her now? _

Quatre stared at the ground in front of him, unusually quiet.

"How're things goin' over here?" Duo said, peering over the shoulders of the two other gundam pilots. In front of them was a small computer with strange encryption coding all over the screen. Trowa was busy typing away, cracking one code after another.

"I'm almost done here, Duo. You?"

Duo gave Trowa a thumbs up. "At this rate, we'll have Lea and Heero back in no time!"

"How can you be so calm at a time like this, Maxwell?" Wufei's voice sounded from a small walkie-talkie in Duo's pocket.

Duo quickly turned the volume down and sat next to Trowa and began directing which encryption keys were the most important. He was, after all, the most skilled in stealth missions of the five.

"Duo... how _can _you be so calm?" Quatre asked after a long time.

Shinigami smiled back at the golden boy. "You worry too much. We've done all we could, now the rest is up to luck." Duo cast his gaze up at the ceiling. _I hope our luck holds up..._

_Someone's... calling my name?_

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Sumare? Sumare, are you alright?"

Sumare opened his eyes. Had he passed out? In front of his bedroom door? _How careless of me..._ Sumare thought and raised himself slightly off the floor.

"Sumare? Sumare!"

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Blast it, girl! Shut up and leave me alone!" Sumare yelled and then held his head as the world before him went in and out of focus.

"I'm sorry... were you asleep?"

"No... I'm fine now... so please... leave me... alone..." Sumare said and fell onto the ground once more. Only this time, instead of falling away into darkness, he felt a warmth. Someone was holding him up. He opened his eyes only to find a very worried-looking Lea, staring back at him. His mouth went dry and he could only stare. _Why is she worrying about me all of a sudden? What made her change like this? "You're just like Kaori."_ _Isn't that what she said? Somehow, she found the goodness in Kaori's heart..._

"Sumare..."

Sumare closed his eyes and laid back in her arms. "I'm alright now... but please don't leave me here alone. Not again."

Lea stared at the pale-faced, silver-haired young man in her arms.

"Don't leave me alone." Sumare said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's okay," Lea spoke softly, and closed her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Heero looked up at the ceiling and thought about how long he had possibly been in Sakio's grasp. _I must have been here for more than a few days... Lea, are you alright, wherever you are?_

_Lea is fine._

Heero closed his eyes. "X, I'm glad you're speaking again."

_I'm not quite sure where she is right now, but she's not in any pain, nor is she hurt. But she is... sad._

"Sad? Why?"

_I'm not sure. But you are in danger. Try to find some sort of escape route._

Heero nodded. "I'll break out of here somehow, and then I'll get Lea. I just hope she hasn't lost her rationality just yet." _Hold on, Lea. Don't let Sakio or anyone else deceive you. I'm coming._

"So you're here because you want to bring your brother back?"

Lea jumped. She hadn't noticed, but she had started to fall asleep, leaning on Sumare's shoulder. Sumare was sitting leaned against the door, his eyes forward.

"No... Sakio thinks that I'll do what he wants because it will bring my brother back, but..."

"So then you're just selfish."

"What?" Lea breathed. Sumare's face hardened as he seemed to be getting angrier.

"What, you don't think your own brother is worth you giving up your life for? Is that it? You're the most selfish person I know, Lea."

Lea stood up. "Selfish? Look at yourself, Sumare, look at what you're saying! I'm selfish because I think my brother would be happy to see me live out my life happily, rather than killing myself so he could wallow in misery over my own death? You're sister loves you, Sumare. But you're so selfish, you can't even see it. You think, 'my sister hates me, I don't care for her, so I can bring my parents back with absolutely no remorse'. Well you know what? I think you really need to redefine your meaning for the word 'selfish', because I think you've got it switched around."

Sumare stared at her. Lea continued.

"I lost my brother, too. But after I had stayed with those five boys, I began to see that they had their fair amount of tragedy too. The only difference was, they didn't waste their time beating themselves up about it, like I did. They just kept going, they kept on living. And that's what you should do, too."

Now Sumare stood up. "You don't know what you're talking about." And with that, Sumare left. Lea ran after him.

"I think I do know! I know well what it feels like to have lost a person I love!"

"No, you don't understand!" Sumare yelled and both of them stopped dead in their tracks. "The reason the terrorists came to our apartment building was because of me! I led them there! My parents were burned alive, I saw them! They were monsters, and they wanted me to help them, but I didn't! I ran away! That's why... that's why Kaori hates me... And she has a right to hate me."

Lea lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I owe my sister. I owe her back her mother and father. It doesn't matter if I die here. Just as long as she's happy, then that's all that matters."

Lea's eyes widened. _That's what my brother would always say, when he would buy me an extra ice cream cone or piece of candy... "Just as long as you're happy, then that's all that matters."_

Lea's eyes filled with tears suddenly as she hugged Sumare.

Trowa, Duo, Quatre, and Wufei all moved swiftly passed two long hallways, and through some large reinforced doors. They had finally made it into the very heart of Sakio's comound.

"We should take a left here and..." Trowa said but then stopped dead. Right in front of them was Sumare and Lea. Lea seemed to be hugging him, tears in her eyes. "...Lea?"

Lea gasped and let go of Sumare. "Trowa! You're all here..."

"What's going on?" Trowa asked suddenly, brandishing a gun and pointing it at Sumare. Sumare in turn also pulled out his gun and pointed it at the gundam pilot.

"Well, well. I guess this means our plans will have to commence a bit sooner than we had planned." Sakio said. He was standing behind Sumare, apparently he had walked in only moments before. "Sumare, grab the girl. It's time."

"No!" Trowa yelled and pulled the trigger. It hit Sumare in the shoulder.

Sumare flinched but grabbed Lea and followed Sakio at a quick pace down the hall.

"Sumare, please stop! Sumare!" Lea yelled, but he wasn't listening. The four other gundam pilots were in pursuit.

"Don't shoot, you might hit Lea!" Quatre yelled when he saw Duo and Wufei also draw their guns.

Sakio was already waiting by the machine X, a grim smile on his lips. Sumare dumped Lea at his feet and then turned to face the four gundam pilots, gun raised.

"No! Don't shoot!" Lea yelled just when Sakio grabbed her arm and began climbing the ladder to the cockpit of X. Kyo appeared by his suit and seemed to be ready to go ahead and bring all their dead loved-ones back.

"Shut up, girl! Just be quiet! This will only hurt a little, and then your brother will be back..."

"No! Please! Don't do this, Sakio!"

The four boys opened fire. Sumare jumped backwards and ran up another ladder to his own suit. Kaori was watching from not very far off.

Sakio grabbed both of Lea's hands and forced her into the suit's cockpit. The door shut, and surrounding Lea now was a sea of darkness.

"Sakio! Don't do this! Please don't!" She yelled and pounded her fists against the door of the cockpit. "Don't do this..."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Sorry, so soooo sorry! It's been so long since I last posted up a chapter! But I have my reasons, oh yes I do! I caught a cold, a really, really bad one, and thus I couldn't write, I was so worn out... Then about two days after I caught a cold, I broke my toe! Another few days of suffering... and then I had writers block too! ARGH! And then my favorite died! Oh, woe is me! So yeah, I had to have a fight with my mother before she would agree to let me write instead of cleaning my room...

Mendel, A.K.A Maruchan: Mom, I can't clean my room now!

Mom: Why not?

Maruchan: Because I must write! I owe it to my fans!

And thus the cat fight began... but I won, thankfully. I hope I can get the next chapter up soon! Thanks for all your support!

PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER:

Final Overture

(AN: There will not be a preview for the next chapter this time, I don't want to spoil anything! But I will say this, "Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to 'X'"!)

FUNNINESS...

Lea: Please don't let me die:tugging at the hem of Maruchan's long kimono: Don't kill me in your story!

Maruchan: I'll do what I please! You could be burned alive, or the world could blow up, or everything could go well! It's my choice, I RULE YOUR PUNY LITTLE WORLD!

Lea: NOOOO! ;; Must read conclusion to story... must know if I LIVE!

Maruchan: You'll just have to wait and see!


	15. Final Overture

AN: O my God... O my God... it's the final chapter! THE FINAL CHAPTER! O my God... O my God... I'll finally finish it... After this there will never be a day when I say, "Oh, crap, I've got to finish my story, X!" and tell people about it, and how awesome it's going... And now it will be all over soon? I feel very strange... like when I'm done something will be missing from my life... My story, my wonderful story which I've worked so hard on will be finished! Bitter sweetness... I'm happy and sad. But enough of my ramblings... on with the final chapter, the conclusion to X! (Warning, this will be a very long chapter.)

X

Chapter 15:

Final Overture

"Don't do this, Sakio! Please!" _They'll all die! I don't care if everyone who's died before is brought back... Sumare, Kyo, Yuna, Z, X... they'll all be gone forever! _"NO!"

Lea pounded again and again against the door to her cockpit. "NO!"

"Hold on, Lea!" Trowa yelled and fired off a round in Sakio's direction. The bullet barely grazed his leg.

"Foolish boy! It's too late, don't you understand? Give up!"

"No! I'll never give up on Lea, or on anyone else!"

Sumare stood staring at the four boys, all willing to risk their lives for one single girl... _How can this be? Is it possible for those four to care so much? _Sumare shook his head, banishing any last thoughts from his mind. Kyo watched him from the cockpit of his suit.

"Sumare, are you sure we should go through with this? I mean... maybe Lea's right. Maybe this isn't the right thing to do..."

"Shut up." Sumare said suddenly, silencing Kyo as the two both started to climb into their cockpits. Sumare stopped, though, when he heard a strange sound. It was like... a cracking noise. He spun around only to see the robot, X, pulling off the door to his cockpit. Sumare could hear his screams inside his mind, and it made his blood curdle.

Lea, panting and flinching at the sudden pain, tumbled out of the cockpit and landed at Sakio's feet.

"No! My robot... my plan... it's ruined!" Sakio yelled and kicked Lea hard. "I'll kill you... I'll kill you! How dare you take my wife from me! My beloved... It's all your fault! I'LL KILL YOU!"

A single gunshot rang out through the entire building. The four gundam pilots held their breath, as did Kaori, Sumare, and Kyo.

Lea opened her eyes, which she had shut at the thought of being shot. Standing in front of her was none other than Heero. Sakio was on the ground, a wound in his side, not moving.

"Heero!" Lea exclaimed.

"It has begun. You must get X out. Sumare, Kyo! You both must also remove the people from your robots!" Heero bent down and pulled Lea to her feet.

"No!" Sumare yelled suddenly, turning back to his cockpit. "I will bring my parents back!" and with that, Sumare began to climb into his cockpit when he felt somebody hugging him from behind, holding him back.

"Sumare! Don't do this, please! I love you, brother, and I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, if I didn't keep blaming you for our parent's death, then maybe you wouldn't be so cold, be so cruel. I loved my parents, but I always loved you more! Please don't give up your life! I'll be miserable without you!" Kaori said, tears falling down the sides of her face. "Don't go..."

Sumare's eyes grew wide.

"You see, Sumare?" Lea said. The five pilots, Lea and Kyo were all watching Sumare and Kaori.

"I... don't understand..." Sumare said and grabbed Kaori's hands and gently slid out of her grip.

"Well, try to. I lost my brother, the one person I loved more than anything in the whole world, and I would do anything to get him back, but killing myself and other people won't make him happy. Please try to understand that a brother's love is something powerful, something that can't be broken or sold or lost, it'll always be there. So start thinking about someone besides yourself, and be there for your sister." Lea said and smiled slightly.

_Just keep living. _Sumare thought and turned to his sister. "I'm so sorry... I promise, from now, I'll be there for you. Always."

Kaori hugged her brother tightly.

"So, are you gonna get that girl out of your suit?" Kyo asked, suddenly appearing beside Sumare. He nodded in response.

"Yes. Let's free them."

And with that, the three pilots, Kyo, Lea, and Sumare, all began to disassemble the lower parts of their machines. Green, warm liquid spilled everywhere as Lea fought her way through hundreds of colored wires until finally she found the body of a young boy with silver hair. It looked like he was asleep. Lea quickly removed the wires from his body and pulled him out and laid him gently on the ground, his head in her lap. His clothes were faded and ripped up.

It would seem that Yuna and Z were also in similar conditions. Kyo lightly poked Yuna's forehead.

"What's wrong with them? Why don't they wake up?" Kyo asked and put his head on Yuna's chest. "She's got a heartbeat..."

"Maybe their in a coma or something..." Kaori said, looking over Z.

"X... X... come back to me, X..." Lea said, and began pulling her fingers through his silky hair. "Please... please be okay... you're free, X... You're finally free..."

X stayed silent, and then, he blinked. Lea gasped.

"X? X, are you alright? Speak to me!"

X looked around and then slowly sat up. "I'm... I'm alright." He sounded exactly like he did in Lea's dreams.

"X, you're free! You're here with me, right where you should be!" Lea exclaimed happily and hugged X.

Slowly, Yuna and Z also rose up. Yuna's hair was a platinum blonde color, her eyes were a soft gold color. Z, in contrast, had black hair and dark eyes to match.

"I'm... I'm here... This isn't a dream?" Z asked, looking around. Yuna and X were also amazed that they could move their hands and see clearly.

"I don't believe it! You did it, you idiot! You did it!" Yuna yelled and threw her arms around Kyo's neck. Everyone laughed. But their laughter was quickly interrupted.

"You... you took her away from me... how dare you take her away from me."

Lea turned around. There, apparently still alive, was Sakio. He was slowly returning to his feet.

"You'll pay for that... I'll kill you... I'll kill you all!" Lea gasped, but found that she was to afraid to move when Sakio drew his gun and pointed it at her.

"Lea, no!" Trowa yelled, but Lea didn't hear him. All she could see was X suddenly standing in front of her. He was shielding her, protecting her from Sakio.

The gunshot reverberated off the walls.

X collapsed to the ground.

"Lea!" Heero yelled.

Lea sat staring at the boy in front of her. Blood stained his shirt, a bullet wound right to his heart.

"X! NO!" Lea yelled and grabbed X and held him tightly. "Don't die, don't die! You're free now, X, so please... please don't leave me..."

Sakio aimed the gun again, but then put it away. "I'll blow you all to kingdom come!" he yelled and pulled a controller out of his pocket.

"Lea... it's alright... I'm not in any pain... Besides... I wouldn't have made it very far in the world anyway."

"Yes you would have, with me by your side!" Lea said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's okay. It's alright. But you have to get out of here... Sakio's put several bombs throughout his compound." X said and lifted himself out of Lea's grasp.

"Come on, Lea..." Trowa said and pulled Lea away. Yuna and Z also stood.

"Yes, you all have to go." Z said and nodded to Sumare.

"Thank you for saving us, but now do us a favor and save yourselves." Yuna said. Kyo lowered his head, but then nodded.

"Go, Lea! This is for the best..." X said and held Lea's hand for the very last time. "We can't live for very long if we're not in the suits... Don't be sad. Just remember I'll always be with you."

The five gundam pilots, Lea, Kyo, Sumare, and Kaori all left the compound quickly, right before it exploded.

"X..." Lea said quietly to herself. "I pray that you'll be happy... wherever you are."

_Just promise me one thing, Lea._

_Anything, X. _

_Don't be sad. I'm right here._

Lea dried her tears. "Okay. I won't be sad."

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Lea rolled over in her bed and banged hard on the alarm clock.

"Rise and shine, kiddo! I made your favorite for today, ham and eggs!" Mai yelled happily from the kitchen. Lea opened up her eyes and got out of bed.

Almost 1 year ago, Lea decided she would take up Mai on her offer and come to live with her. Mai was enthralled and accepted. Lea has been living in Mai's small apartment ever since.

Lea yawned and sat down at the dining table as Mai plopped down a large plate of scrambled eggs and ham in front of her.

"Eat up!"

"Thank you, it looks delicious!" Lea said and wolfed down the ham and eggs almost as quickly as Mai did.

"Well, it's Sunday so... you wanna go out and do something fun?"

"Mm... no thanks. I have something already planned." Lea said, dumping her and Mai's dishes into the sink.

"Oh, really? Are you finally going out on a date with that adorable boyfriend of yours? What was his name?" Mai said, walking into her bedroom and began rummaging around for something.

"Trowa, and no, not really." Lea answered and turned to the calendar hanging up on the East wall of the kitchen. _It's been 1 year since that day..._

"Here." Mai said, presenting a small celtic-styled silver pendant to Lea.

"Oh, my pendant! Thank you!" Lea said and put the pendant on. "Oh my gosh, is it 12 o'clock already? I have to go, bye Mai, thanks!" Lea cried happily, grabbed her small purse and headed out of the apartment.

Mai smiled. "Be careful now!"

"Lea, you finally made it!" Kyo yelled and hugged Lea tightly. Lea smiled.

"Sorry I'm late, I set my alarm clock 2 hours ahead..."

"You sleep to much, Lea." Sumare said, smiling. "It's good to see you."

"You too! So, where are the fabulous five?"

"Over here." Trowa said and waved from a little farther off. "Great, now we're all here."

Lea smiled and nodded. A warm breeze blew. It was summer, but today was a bit cooler, mainly because it hadn't quite gotten to mid-day. All 8 people were at the cemetery.

The 8 walked a little ways until they came to a series of graves. 4, exactly.

"So, did you guys ever find Sakio's body?" Sumare asked, and laid a bouquet of flowers onto one grave which gravestone had the letter 'Z' on it.

Heero shook his head. "No, not even remenants of his body were found."

"Could he have gotten away, maybe?" Duo asked. Lea shook her head.

"No, I'm sure he didn't."

Trowa put his hand in hers.

Kyo stepped forward and put a bouquet onto the another grave which gravestone had the name 'Yuna' written on it.

"Even in death she wanted me to call her Yuna." Kyo said smiling and sighed. Kaori suddenly ran up.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone! Did I miss anything?"

"Not really..." Sumare said and hugged his sister. Lea smiled and presented her own two bouquets, one by the gravestone marked with the letter X, and another bouquet of daisies by the gravestone with name 'Damon' written on it.

_I miss you both, but I won't be sad any more. I'm going to make you two proud and keep on living._

Lea closed her eyes and heard music. Beautiful music. A piano was being played, gracefully, gently... And Lea saw their faces. X and Damon. They were smiling, they were happy.

_You be happy, too, sis!_

_Yes, live your life to the fullest!_

"I sure will, you guys." Lea said and smiled. "I sure will."

THE END

AN: MORE RAMBLING! O MY GOD! That's it, I'm done, I'm finished! PARTY! PARTY! I'm going to throw a little party for myself in honor of the completion of my story! HURRAH!

And here's my list of all supreme Thank You's to everyone who helped me-

Grandpa, your books on writing and writing know-how really helped! Thank you!

Mom, your love and compassion and over-all silliness helped to inspire the character Mai, Thank you so much!

Dad, the stories you brought home from work helped out a ton! Keep the funny stories coming! Thank you!

Big brother, ah, my big brother. I love you, Onii-chan! Thank you so much for being my big brother!

Kyo-chan, my best friend! Thanks a bunch for your random craziness! It helped whenever I had writer's block!

Uncle R., thank you for inspiring the care-free 'you've just got to live' theme for this story!

All my peeps at the anime club, you inspired me to not give up on my story and keep on going! Thank you!

And finally, to everyone who reviewed my story, thank you so much for sticking with me 'till the end:tears of joy:

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! You helped make this story what it is, with your stories about things that happened and things you liked and disliked, it all came together so wonderfully!

This is Maruchan LE, saying thank you all my characters, and I hope I can work with you again! Bye bye!


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